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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
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Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) of Metal-Ceramic Components
Published on: January 11, 2019
Healable and Post-Programmable Metal-Organic Framework-Vitrimer Composites
Rachel K T Lau1, Ai Wei Gan1,2, Sirin Kamarulzaman1,2
1Laboratory For Green Porous Materials, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency For Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Republic of Singapore.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|July 25, 2026
Summary
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) act as dynamic crosslinkers in novel polymer composites. These MOF-vitrimer materials offer thermal healing, recyclability, and tunable mechanical properties, surpassing traditional filler applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Metal-organic framework (MOF) particles are typically used as passive fillers in polymer composites.
- Integrating MOFs as integral network components remains a challenge.
- Conventional MOF-polymer composites lack dynamic network properties like self-healing or reprocessing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new design principle using MOFs as dynamic covalent crosslinkers for polymer networks.
- To develop MOF-vitrimer composites with enhanced functionalities and tunable properties.
- To explore the potential of MOFs beyond passive filler roles in hybrid materials.
Main Methods:
- UiO-66-NH2 nanoparticles were employed as dynamic covalent crosslinkers.
- Linear polyimines were crosslinked with MOF nanoparticles via imine bond formation.
- Post-synthetic tempering was used to reprogram mechanical properties.
Main Results:
- Free-standing MOF-vitrimer composite films with high solvent resistance were successfully fabricated.
- The dynamic imine exchange enabled thermal healing, mechanical reprocessing, and chemical recycling.
- MOF nodes retained intrinsic functions for dye adsorption and hydrolysis, alongside tunable mechanical properties.
Conclusions:
- MOFs can serve as multifunctional dynamic crosslinkers, creating advanced hybrid materials.
- This approach expands MOF-polymer composites beyond passive filler applications, enabling healable, recyclable, and programmable materials.
- The developed MOF-vitrimer composites exhibit material pluripotency and retain catalytic functions.
