Hyosung TNC announced on the 7th that it has succeeded in developing and using nylon for the liner material of hydrogen vehicle fuel tanks with its own technology. Hyosung TNC's nylon material is superior to conventional metal and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) liner materials in terms of lightweight, gas barrier, and impact resistance. The nylon liner material developed by Hyosung TNC is 70% lighter than metal and 50% lighter than HDPE and gas barrier property that prevents leakage of hydrogen gas is also 30% higher than metal and 50% higher than HDPE.

Metal liner is heavy and has a high risk of brittleness when exposed to hydrogen for a long period of time, whereas nylon liner has low hydrogen absorption and air permeability, so there is no risk of being brittleness. HDPE liners are used as high-pressure containers at 400bar levels, but cannot withstand the 700bar pressure required by typical hydrogen electric vehicles. In addition, the hydrogen container liner must be able to withstand rapidly changing temperature fluctuation caused by frequent charging and discharging of hydrogen and the nylon liner has excellent impact resistance against to it from -40 to 85 degrees Celsius.

The success of this development is significant in that it has laid the foundation for Hyosung TNC to enter the nylon liner market, which has been monopolized by foreign companies, for the first time as a domestic company. The nylon liner is expected to contribute to the completion of Hyosung's hydrogen value chain. Hyosung TNC's nylon-applied hydrogen container passed the hydrogen container international quality standard (UN/ECE R134) in June 2022, and has been equipped with function, quality and technical perfection as a liner material.

It is also planned to conduct commercial tests in cooperation with hydrogen fuel tank manufacturers and automakers. Hyosung TNC is planning to expand the application of nylon as a liner material from tube trailers of commercial trucks to CNG and hydrogen vessels sailing the seas around the world, such as Antarctica and the Equator, by enhancing the impact and heat resistance range from -60 to 90 degrees Celsius. In addition, as Hyosung TNC developed the world's first recycled nylon fiber technology from recycled fishing nets discarded in the sea, it plans to expand the eco-friendly plastic material market by applying recycled nylon to a liner material in the future.