The precise and specific design of polymeric materials with ecofriendly and environmentally responsible design is a prominent and emerging field within the polymer chemistry and materials engineering communities. Of these materials, covalent adaptable networks (CANs) have garnered interest in the past decade. CANs are cross-linked thermosets that contain dynamic bonds which can exchange under certain stimuli such as light, force, and importantly, heat. This activation allows for chain movement in the covalently cross-linked polymer network, inducing flow due to the reconfiguration of the bonds across different polymer chains. Vitrimers, a subset of CANs, are materials that undergo dynamic bond exchanges via an associative chemical mechanism. In this talk, we showcase different methods of enhancing the recyclability of siloxane-based vitrimers through based-catalyzed mechanistic pathways performed by undergraduate researchers at Davidson College which is a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). The vitrimers are synthesized rapidly using photo-click thiol-ene chemistry. The materials showcase a wide range of stress relaxation times that span over three orders of magnitude. Finally, we are able to synthesize nanocomposite vitrimers by loading metal oxide nanoparticles into the system. These composites showcase recycling potential through stress relaxation at temperatures below 200<sup>o</sup>C.

Enabling recyclability in siloxane-based thermosets

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.