On 8 August 2023, the European Commission published in its Official Journal Regulation (EU) 2023/1608 amending the EU POPs Regulation (EU) 2019/1021, officially adding PFHxS and its salts and related substances to the list of prohibited substances under the EU POPs Regulation. The regulation enters into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal. The list of prohibited substances in Annex I of the EU POPs Regulation thus officially increases from 28 to 29 entries.

New entry

Applications of perfluorinated compounds in the automotive sector

● Special technical textiles used in vehicles, such as surface treatment agents for fabrics with oil, water and stain repellency, high heat resistance and high UV resistance

● Polymer electrolyte membranes in lithium-ion batteries, electrode materials, binders for coating metal oxide cathodes, etc.

● Fluorinated organic additives in battery electrolytes to improve battery life

● Coatings for seals and enclosures in automotive electronics

● Seals and gaskets in cooling systems, coolant hoses, and components in powertrain peripheral equipment

● Printed circuit boards (PCB) in automotive electronics

● In-vehicle liquid crystal displays (LCD)

● Lubricating oils and greases in connectors

● Silicon chips, interconnects and packaging material components in semiconductors

NTEK capabilities

★ Automotive: VOC testing, odour testing, fogging testing, restricted substance testing, asbestos analysis, reliability testing, material failure analysis, automotive electronics electrical performance testing, EMC site rental and testing;

★ New energy materials: physicochemical analysis of cathode and anode materials, particle size analysis, composition analysis, impurity content analysis, electrolyte composition analysis, separator shrinkage and dimensional testing, odour traceability, characterisation analysis (SEM, industrial CT, AFS, TEM, XRD, etc.), primary battery abnormality and failure analysis;

★ Chemical materials: hazardous substance testing in coatings, VOC testing;

★ Electronic and electrical: multi-country RoHS testing, SVHC and PAHs testing and certification, PFAS testing, California Proposition 65, CPSIA, halogen testing, analysis of various flame retardants, metal composition and grade identification, TSCA testing, physicochemical and composition analysis of polymer materials, odour traceability, failure analysis of various materials.