Photo shows the new materials exhibition center of Dawn Group, located in Longkou, east China's Shandong province.

Can an inanimate material "blush"?

At the International Exhibition on Plastics and Rubber Industries held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province this April, a newly developed elastomer drew attention at the booth of Dawn Group, a plastic raw material trader and distributor based in east China's Shandong province. When illuminated, the material turned faintly pink, mimicking a human blush.

"This elastomer simulates human skin, enabling bionic robots to display more lifelike facial expressions," explained Liu Lei, manager of the elastomer R&D department at Dawn Polymer, a subsidiary of Dawn Group engaged in research, development, production, sales and service of high-performance thermoplastic elastomer, modified plastic, master batch and other products.

Now a global player in new materials, Dawn Group began humbly in 1991, when founder Yu Xiaoning, now chairman of Dawn Group, established the company with just five employees and 200,000 yuan ($28,064) in capital. A decade later, a critical turning point emerged when Yu learned of laboratory breakthroughs in high-performance thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) from Professor Zhang Liqun of Beijing University of Chemical Technology.

"TPV combines the ease of plastic processing with the elasticity of rubber. It's recyclable, environmentally friendly, and essential for sealing components in the automotive and aerospace sectors," Yu said. "At the time, only the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, and Italy had mastered its production."

Despite high risks and no precedent for industrialization, Yu invested over 10 million yuan to establish an R&D center in partnership with the university, determined to bring the technology from lab to market.

"There was no roadmap," recalled Tian Hongchi, general manager of Dawn Polymer. "We had to refine everything manually, working from early morning to late at night."

In 2006, their persistence paid off: Dawn Polymer launched China's first TPV production line with fully independent intellectual property. Two years later, the technology won the second prize for technological invention.

The company soon pivoted to another critical material, hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR), used in aerospace and high-performance machinery, and long monopolized by foreign firms. After nine years of intensive R&D, the company successfully produced China's first HNBR block in 2019, making China the third country after Japan and Germany to master the technology with full intellectual property rights.

Photo shows a bird's-eye view of Dawn Polymer in east China's Shandong province.

Today, Dawn Group is a cornerstone of Longkou's high-end chemical industry and a flagship enterprise in Shandong Province's specialized industrial clusters.

At the company's new materials exhibition center, R&D Director Wang Hong pointed to rows of plastic pellets. "These are recycled materials that have 'had a good night's rest and regained their strength'."

Wang employed the metaphor of "rest" to illustrate the rejuvenation of waste plastics: "Traditional recycling often degrades plastics quality, limiting their reuse," he explained. "Our new technology enables plastics to be 'reborn at the same grade.' Just as rest restores human vitality, our process gives plastics a 'deep sleep' through advanced technology, restoring their original performance."

In 2024, Dawn Group partnered with a subsidiary of Haier Smart Home, a global leader in smart home IoT ecosystems, to establish a joint venture focused on the R&D and production of recycled plastics. Haier Smart Home provides a steady supply of waste plastics from decommissioned appliances, while Dawn Group applies its proprietary technology to regenerate them. Tests show that Dawn Group's recycled plastics emit only 0.452 tons of carbon per ton, an 80 percent reduction compared to virgin plastics.

"Companies once avoided recycled materials," Wang noted. "Now they come to us." Certified by leading international institutions, Dawn Group's recycled plastics are now used not only in home appliances but also in automotive components.

(Photos provided by Dawn Group)