Recycling and Healing of Vitrimers: Double Layer of Sustainability Using Green Approaches

ABSTRACT Recyclability and healability of vitrimers were reported in the literature to be higher than that of thermoplastics and thermosets, due to the covalent bonds bridging the fractured areas. Previous reviews discussed different recycling and healing approaches for vitrimers; however, circular and green approaches require deeper examination. This review takes it a step further and provides comprehensive tracking of closed‐loop and sustainable reclamation studies. Greener restoration of vitrimers was found to be achieved by combining physical recycling with chemical techniques like self‐depolymerization and non‐stimulated processes. The most sustainable healing approach is accomplished through intrinsic self‐healing systems, where the restoration involves synergistic effects of only the features of the material's chemical structure and the ambient conditions. It was found that the recyclability and healability are broad titles that should not only include the assessment of the properties of the reclaimed materials but also the number of cycles, throughput, and process efficiency. Finally, future recommendations for features integration and stable designs were proposed. This review offers best practices to design cradle‐to‐cradle and efficient reclamation processes for vitrimers with low energy consumption and environmental impact. This ensures a net environmental benefit without problem relocation and offers a double layer of sustainability by reclamation using ecofriendly approaches.