Reprocessable Disulfide-Based Vitrimers with Adhesive Properties

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Dynamic covalent networks offer unique properties like self-healing and reprocessability.
• Disulfide bonds are key dynamic moieties enabling network reversibility.
• Thiol-ene and thiol-epoxy chemistries provide versatile routes for network formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel disulfide-containing dynamic networks using a dual-curing strategy.
• To investigate the influence of catalyst structure on network properties and reprocessability.
• To demonstrate the potential of these materials as sustainable alternatives.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of thiol-vinyl-epoxy networks via photoinitiated thiol-ene reaction followed by thermal thiol-epoxy curing.
• Systematic investigation of catalyst structure effects on curing kinetics and thermomechanical properties.
• Evaluation of stress relaxation behavior and reprocessability through thermal cycling.

Main Results:

• Successful formation of disulfide-containing dynamic networks through a controlled dual-curing process.
• Demonstration of reprocessability enabled by heat-triggered disulfide bond exchange.
• Correlation between catalyst structure and curing behavior, thermomechanical properties, and reprocessing efficiency.
• Solvent-free formulation exhibiting efficient network rearrangement.

Conclusions:

• The presented disulfide-containing thiol-vinyl-epoxy dynamic networks exhibit controlled development and excellent reprocessability.
• Catalyst structure plays a crucial role in tuning network performance and recyclability.
• These materials hold significant promise for sustainable material design and application.