Reversible Vitrimisation of Single‐Use Plastics and their Mixtures

Reversible Vitrimisation of Single‐Use Plastics and their Mixtures

Advanced Functional Materials

10.1002/adfm.202410291

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202410291

Zhuang Mao Png, Sheng Wang, Jayven Chee Chuan Yeo, Vijayakumar Raveenkumar, Joseph Kinyanjui Muiruri, Xian Chun Nicky Quek, Xiaohui Yu, Ke Li, Zibiao Li

polymers, Materials Chemistry, Vitrimers, covalent adapatable network, Carbene, Imine

06 October 2024

Png, Z. M., Wang, S., Yeo, J. C. C., Raveenkumar, V., Muiruri, J. K., Quek, X. C. N., Yu, X., Li, K., & Li, Z. (2024). Reversible Vitrimisation of Single‐Use Plastics and their Mixtures. Advanced Functional Materials. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202410291

AbstractVitrimers are promising next‐generation materials, often exhibiting superior properties such as mechanical strength and solvent resistance compared to their thermoplastic counterparts, while still featuring recyclability due to their dynamic covalent crosslinks. The most common strategy to recycle vitrimers is via mechanical reprocessing at high temperatures, while others utilize chemical degradation to reobtain the constituent monomers. This work presents a new approach toward reprocessing by selectively breaking of the vitrimer's crosslinks, turning it back into a thermoplastic. This allows for reprocessing to be achieved in a more sustainable manner such as at lower temperatures and shorter times. After the desired shape has been obtained, facile re‐crosslinking turns the material into a vitrimer, with full restoration of thermal stability, mechanical properties, and gel fraction. To achieve this, a carbene C─H insertion strategy is utilized to introduce an imine‐based crosslinker into various thermoplastics and plastic mixtures to convert them into vitrimers. Properties typical of vitrimers such as a retained polymer network at high temperatures, and an Arrhenius‐type relationship between stress relaxation rate and temperature are observed, while its mechanical properties such as elongation at break and tensile toughness, particularly for plastic mixtures are significantly enhanced, first by crosslinking, then further enhanced up to 8 folds by the reversible crosslinking process.

Publisher Copyright

This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - AME Young Individual Research Grants
Grant Reference no. : A2084c0168

This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity (MTC) Programmatic Funding
Grant Reference no. : M22K9b0049

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Png, Z. M., Wang, S., Yeo, J. C. C., Raveenkumar, V., Muiruri, J. K., Quek, X. C. N., Yu, X., Li, K., & Li, Z. (2024). Reversible Vitrimisation of Single‐Use Plastics and their Mixtures. Advanced Functional Materials. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202410291 , which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202410291. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.

https://oar.a-star.edu.sg/communities-collections/articles/21166

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1616-3028

Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment