Ultratough, Robustness, and Reprocessable Thermoset Epoxy Resins Synergistically Enhanced by Hierarchical Coordination Interactions and Dynamic Covalent Networks

Abstract Epoxy resins, ubiquitous and indispensable thermosetting material in various industries, suffer from the resistance to crack initiation, poor ductility, and irreparable permanent cross‐linked network, which hinder their utilization in high‐performance applications and are detrimental to the development of a sustainable economy. However, achieving the trade‐off between toughness, robustness, and reprocessability of epoxy resins remains a formidable challenge. Herein, an epoxy resin that combines ultratoughness, robustness, and reprocessability by incorporating a hierarchical crosslink structure embedded in a transesterification network is reported. The construction of hierarchical coordination structures facilitates formation of dense nano‐hard domains, enabling enhancement of both strength and toughness at multilength scales. As a result, the epoxy resin, integrating covalent adaptable networks with sacrificial non‐covalent networks, exhibits exceptional elongation at break (280%), modulus (1.8 GPa), stress at break (56.3 MPa), and tensile toughness (142 MJ m −3 ), showcasing its excellent endurance and ability to undergo multiple reprocessability. The application of this epoxy resin in carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer composites further underscores its potential as the resulting HCEV‐CFRPs exhibit unprecedented tensile properties and facilitate multiple non‐destructive recycling of high‐value carbon fiber under mild conditions. This research provides novel design principles for recyclable and high‐performance materials that combine strength and toughness.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2024-10-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202408411
Citations
37
Primary Topic
Polymer composites and self-healing
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.24

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article

Ultratough, Robustness, and Reprocessable Thermoset Epoxy Resins Synergistically Enhanced by Hierarchical Coordination Interactions and Dynamic Covalent Networks

Hui Xie, Caizhen Zhu, Ludi Shi, Jinze Cui et al.
37 citations
Advanced Functional Materials
Polymer composites and self-healing
6.24
article

Ultratough, Robustness, and Reprocessable Thermoset Epoxy Resins Synergistically Enhanced by Hierarchical Coordination Interactions and Dynamic Covalent Networks

Hui Xie, Caizhen Zhu, Ludi Shi, Jinze Cui, Changbo Zhao, Yi Pan, Feng Bao, Xiyan Li, Xiaobin Ding, Jian Xu, Hao Zhang
article en
37 citations

Abstract

Abstract Epoxy resins, ubiquitous and indispensable thermosetting material in various industries, suffer from the resistance to crack initiation, poor ductility, and irreparable permanent cross‐linked network, which hinder their utilization in high‐performance applications and are detrimental to the development of a sustainable economy. However, achieving the trade‐off between toughness, robustness, and reprocessability of epoxy resins remains a formidable challenge. Herein, an epoxy resin that combines ultratoughness, robustness, and reprocessability by incorporating a hierarchical crosslink structure embedded in a transesterification network is reported. The construction of hierarchical coordination structures facilitates formation of dense nano‐hard domains, enabling enhancement of both strength and toughness at multilength scales. As a result, the epoxy resin, integrating covalent adaptable networks with sacrificial non‐covalent networks, exhibits exceptional elongation at break (280%), modulus (1.8 GPa), stress at break (56.3 MPa), and tensile toughness (142 MJ m −3 ), showcasing its excellent endurance and ability to undergo multiple reprocessability. The application of this epoxy resin in carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer composites further underscores its potential as the resulting HCEV‐CFRPs exhibit unprecedented tensile properties and facilitate multiple non‐destructive recycling of high‐value carbon fiber under mild conditions. This research provides novel design principles for recyclable and high‐performance materials that combine strength and toughness.

Advanced Functional MaterialsVol. 34(48)
Shenzhen University (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Chengdu Organic Chemicals (China) (CN), Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Polymer composites and self-healing
6.24
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