In this talk I will share our recent progress in developing strong, malleable, and recyclable thermoset polymers using various dynamic covalent bonds. While permanently cross-linked polymers (i.e., thermosets) have excellent mechanical properties, creep resistance, and chemical/solvent resistance, they cannot be reshaped, reprocessed, or recycled by heat or with solvent. In contrast, thermoplastic polymers can be reshaped and reprocessed, but they normally have lower mechanical strength, lower structural stability at elevated temperature, and poorer chemical/solvent resistances. To combine the excellent attributes of both thermoplastics (reprocessability, recyclability) and thermosets (mechanical strength, creep and solvent resistances), a new strategy has succeeded by introducing dynamic covalent bonds into thermosets. Our laboratory is particularly interested in developing robust dynamic covalent interactions that can lead to thermosets that are mechanically strong, highly malleable, and fully reprocessable and recyclable. Specifically, we can successfully developed robust malleable thermoset polymers via carbon-carbon double bond exchange, boron-oxygen bond exchange, and silicon-oxygen exchange reaction. Successful demonstration of robust, malleable, and reprocessable/recyclable thermosets will have major impact on new materials development, polymer recycling and sustainability, and modern technologies including additive manufacturing.

Strong, malleable, and recyclable thermosets via robust dynamic covalent

256th National Meeting (2018)

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