Polymers with Dynamic Bonds: Adaptive Functional Materials for a Sustainable Future

Abstract

Polymeric materials play critical role in many current technologies. Among them, adaptive polymeric materials with dynamic (reversible) bonds exhibit unique properties and provide exciting opportunities for various future technologies. Dynamic bonds enable structural rearrangements in polymer networks in specific conditions. Replacement of a few covalent bonds by dynamic bonds can enhance polymeric properties, e.g., strongly improve the toughness and the adhesive properties of polymers. Moreover, they provide recyclability and enable new properties, such as self-healing and shape memory effects. We briefly overview new developments in the field of polymers with dynamic bonds and current understanding of their dynamic properties. We further highlight several examples of unique properties of polymers with dynamic bonds and provide our perspectives for them to be used in many current and future applications.

Effect of Slip-Spring Parameters on the Dynamics and Rheology of Soft, Coarse-Grained Polymer Models

“…The data for the higher molecular weight, M = 48, are qualitatively similar, but for the short or slow SLSPs, the double-logarithmic plot of G ( t ) exhibits a turning point, i.e., plateau-like behavior. The latter is expected from the tube model but also from the theory of transient networks. − This observation also appears to be consistent with the behavior of the dimensionless ratio, R , that deviates from the prediction of the tube model.…”

Fully Biobased Vitrimers: Future Direction toward Sustainable Cross‐Linked Polymers

“…[ 17–19 ] In 10 years, the development of vitrimers became an intensive research area of polymer science. [ 20–26 ]…”

“…[17][18][19] In 10 years, the development of vitrimers became an intensive research area of polymer science. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Even if it is crucial to consider the end-of-life of a product, its sustainability evaluation starts from the analysis of the employed feedstock and its extraction. [27] In search for alternatives to the finite fossil feedstocks, which are depleting and cause environmental issues, the renewability and structural diversity of biomass makes it an excellent candidate.…”

Creep Mechanics of Epoxy Vitrimer Materials

“…However, many uses of epoxy materials (e.g., adhesives and structural materials) require them to possess fatigue and creep resistance. Understanding a material’s response to a constant, long-term stress provides an insight into its critical failure and proposed lifetime. − Toward that end, significant research effort has been expended to understand creep, along with methods to improve fatigue and creep suppression (e.g., incorporation of fillers). ,− In addition, there has been a renewed interest in making these polymers recyclable and reprocessable with recent pushes toward polymer sustainability. − Covalently adaptable networks (CANs) hold promise in this area, as they allow for green chemistry and even catalyst-free approaches with targeted applications (e.g., antimicrobial properties). − In addition, CANs have exhibited excellent creep resistance at room temperature and long-term stress exposure times. , However, a boom in research has taken place surrounding vitrimers, a subset of CANs, since their introduction by Leibler and co-workers in 2011 …”

“…Vitrimers are CANs that nominally maintain a constant crosslink density; ,− these materials behave as thermosets at low temperatures, yet possess the processability of thermoplastics at high temperatures. In addition to the traditional glass-transition temperature ( T g ), vitrimers also have a topology freezing temperature ( T v ) above which dynamic covalent bond exchange reactions take place.…”