Vitrimerization of crosslinked elastomers: a mechanochemical approach for recycling thermoset polymers

Bandegi, Alireza; Gray, Thomas; Mitchell, Sarah M.; Oskouei, Amin Jamei; Sing, Michelle K.; Kennedy, Jayme; McLoughlin, Kimberly Miller; Manas‐Zloczower, Ica

doi:10.1039/d3ma00098b

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…While LDPE reduces the viscosity of the melt, the EVA copolymer improves the elastomeric properties of the material. Waste EVA could also be turned into vitrimers through a chemical 263 or mechanochemical 264 approach. Vitrimers are an emerging class of polymers with a dynamic covalent bonding.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A toolbox for improved recycling of critical metals and materials in low-carbon technologies

Zante,

Elgar,

Hartley

et al. 2024

RSC Sustain.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A toolbox for improved recycling of critical metals and materials in low-carbon technologies

Zante,

Elgar,

Hartley

et al. 2024

RSC Sustain.

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“…In the same frame, EVA thermoset waste was treated to be converted to vitrimer with the use of a zinc acetate catalyst and similar methodology, as described above, for the formation of dynamic covalent bonds between ester and hydroxyl groups via transesterification. The resulting material was able to be processed with extrusion and compression moulding methods [108]. The ability of vitrimer materials to undergo shape reconfigurability as the transesterification reaction is the underlying mechanism providing another superior possibility, which is the self-healing capabilities, as demonstrated by Hubbard et al; furthermore, the ability of self-healing and processability are dependent on the catalyst and its sufficient concentration to enable, while the vitrimer's shape memory capabilities are catalyst-independent [98].…”

Section: Upcycling Of Thermoset Composites To Vitrimersmentioning

confidence: 96%

Recent Trends of Recycling and Upcycling of Polymers and Composites: A Comprehensive Review

Podara,

Termine,

Modestou

et al. 2024

Recycling

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This review article gathers the most recent recycling technologies for thermoset and thermoplastic polymers. Results about existing experimental procedures and their effectiveness are presented. For thermoset polymers, the review focuses mainly on fibre-reinforced polymer composites, with an emphasis on epoxy-based systems and carbon/glass fibres as reinforcement, due to the environmental concerns of their end-of-life management. Thermal processes (fluidised bed, pyrolysis) and chemical processes (different types of solvolysis) are discussed. The most recent combined processes (microwave, steam, and ultrasonic assisted techniques) and extraordinary recycling attempts (electrochemical, biological, and with ionic liquids) are analysed. Mechanical recycling that leads to the downgrading of materials is excluded. Insights are also given for the upcycling methodologies that have been implemented until now for the reuse of fibres. As for thermoplastic polymers, the most state-of-the-art recycling approach for the most common polymer matrices is presented, together with the appropriate additivation for matrix upcycling. Mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic recycling processes are described, among others. The use of fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites is quite new, and thus, the most recent achievements are presented. With all of the above information, this extensive review can serve as a guide for educational purposes, targeting students and technicians in polymers recycling.

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“…Much less often, CANs have been produced from saturated polymers that cross-link through their side chains (e.g., EVA), though these syntheses involved step-growth functional group reactions to produce CANs. − To our knowledge, no study has incorporated dynamic covalent bonds into saturated polymers preferentially through their side chains by radical-based methods. Furthermore, no study has investigated structure-property relationships of thermomechanical and viscoelastic properties based on the cross-link density of CANs that were cross-linked through their side chains by radical-based methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Covalent Adaptable Networks Made by Reactive Processing of Highly Entangled Polymer: Synthesis-Structure-Thermomechanical Property-Reprocessing Relationship in Covalent Adaptable Networks

Fenimore,

Suazo,

Torkelson

2024

Macromolecules

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Reactive processing provides a simple approach for grafting dynamic covalent cross-linkers onto linear or branched polymers, resulting in covalent adaptable networks (CANs). We synthesized poly(n-hexyl methacrylate) (PHMA) CANs from neat, entangled PHMA using radical-based reactive processing to graft the dynamic covalent cross-linker called BiTEMPS methacrylate (BTMA) between PHMA side chains. By tuning the BTMA loading, we achieved a range of cross-link densities and characterized how stress relaxation, elevated-temperature creep, and reprocessability are affected by cross-link density. The grafting of dynamic covalent cross-links to the PHMA side chains allowed for a novel comparison of our CANs to the reversible, entangled polymers described by sticky reptation theory, in which long-time relaxation occurs by the unraveling of backbone entanglements, a process enabled by the dissociation and subsequent exchange of side-chain “stickers.” We observed two stress relaxation regimes in our CANs that required their fitting to a linear combination of two stretched exponential decay functions to extract pertinent stress relaxation parameters. The apparent activation energies of stress relaxation and creep viscosity are the same within experimental uncertainty for these PHMA CANs, verifying the shared mechanisms governing the temperature dependence of their viscoelastic responses, independent of CAN cross-link density. Notably, the activation energies for these PHMA CANs made by linking BTMA between side chains are ∼50–60% of those reported previously for PHMA CANs made with BTMA cross-links between the chain backbones. These outcomes demonstrate the importance of synthesis-structure-property-reprocessing relationships in CANs that may be made by various methods or by varying the position or incorporation of dynamic cross-linkers in the CAN structure.

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Vitrimerization of crosslinked elastomers: a mechanochemical approach for recycling thermoset polymers

Abstract: Recycling and reprocessing of crosslinked EVA through Vitrimerization.

Cited by 11 publications

References 62 publications

A toolbox for improved recycling of critical metals and materials in low-carbon technologies

A toolbox for improved recycling of critical metals and materials in low-carbon technologies

Recent Trends of Recycling and Upcycling of Polymers and Composites: A Comprehensive Review

Covalent Adaptable Networks Made by Reactive Processing of Highly Entangled Polymer: Synthesis-Structure-Thermomechanical Property-Reprocessing Relationship in Covalent Adaptable Networks

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