Donglei tests heat-resistant film capacitors

Donglai Industrial Company announced today that it has successfully tested a 150°C inverter using prototype film capacitors, which incorporate a proprietary heat-resistant film as the dielectric.

Efforts to decarbonize transportation are accelerating the electrification of automobiles, aircraft, flying cars, and other forms of next-generation mobility. A drawback of high-output drive systems is that the heat resistance of film capacitors, which stabilize power within inverters, limits system design. This is particularly critical for flying cars, as smaller and lighter thermal management structures are essential for extending flight range, thereby increasing the demand for film capacitors capable of withstanding higher temperatures.

Image provided by Toray

According to the company, joint research with Professor Masayoshi Yamamoto of the Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability at Nagoya University has demonstrated that capacitors using a 150°C heat-resistant film can operate stably in prototype inverters even under high-temperature conditions. Thermal simulations have also confirmed the potential to halve the size of the heat dissipation structure.

This breakthrough addresses a key challenge in advanced polymer films for electrical applications. As the demand for electrification grows, the plastics industry must develop specialized films that maintain dielectric performance under extreme temperatures, thereby opening up new markets for high-performance polymer materials in the automotive, aerospace, and emerging mobility sectors.

Toray and universities will develop and evaluate the film with the aim of commercializing 150°C capacitors. The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) supports this effort through a project focused on developing high-heat-resistant films for next-generation mobility film capacitors.