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Reversible vitrimer matrices for circular fiber-reinforced composite materials
Politecnico di Milano
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Development of catalyst-free biobased epoxy vitrimer resins specifically designed for reprocessable and recyclable fiber-reinforced composites.
The molecular structure of these systems provides abundant chemical functionalities for bond-exchange reactions, allowing the material to relax stresses when heated, thereby enabling thermally-induced healing, welding, and reshaping, while maintaining thermoset-like mechanical performance during use.
These resins have been employed for the fabrication of glass-fiber and carbon-fiber reinforced composites with thermo-mechanical properties in line with conventional systems.
Thanks to their vitrimeric nature, these composites can be reused, reprocessed and chemically recycled, allowing for both open- and closed-loop circular economy scenarios.
- Catalyst-free, biobased, reversible vitrimer resins for glass-fiber and carbon-fiber reinforced composites.
- Reprocessability and recyclability through temperature-activated dynamic exchange reactions.
- Thermoset-like thermomechanical and chemical stability of the material at service temperature.
- Closed- and open-loop reprocessability through self-healing, shape reconfiguration, and self-welding.
- Chemical recyclability in mild conditions, enabling fiber recovery and organic recyclate reuse.
Challenges
- Reuse and recycling are difficult for current thermoset-based composites.
- Resin precursors are typically toxic and/or obtained from oil-based sources.
Solution
- Heat-activated dynamic crosslinked structure.
- Biobased vitrimeric matrices enable circular fiber-reinforced composites suitable for reuse, repair and recycling.
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