As a part of ECORES WIND and RECREATE initiatives, Giulia Altamura, a researcher of the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” at Politecnico di Milano, published a scientific paper in the European Polymer Journal titled: Catalyst-free epoxy vitrimers from phloroglucinol and glutaric anhydride for reusable-by-design biobased glass-fiber-reinforced composites.
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Thermoset polymers are widely used in composites because of their excellent mechanical and chemical properties, but their permanently crosslinked structure makes recycling difficult and costly. In addition, most conventional thermosets rely on fossil-based and potentially hazardous raw materials.
To address these challenges, the authors developed a catalyst-free vitrimer using an algae-derived epoxy resin (phloroglucinol triglycidyl ether) cured with glutaric anhydride. Thanks to dynamic bond-exchange reactions activated by heat, the material can be reprocessed, reshaped, and welded while maintaining its performance.
The vitrimer showed fast and repeatable stress-relaxation behavior at elevated temperatures and was successfully used as the matrix for glass fiber-reinforced composites. The resulting laminates demonstrated strong fiber adhesion, thermoformability, weldability, and chemical recyclability under mild conditions.
Overall, this work highlights a promising route toward more circular, reusable, and bio-based composite materials, offering clear advantages over traditional thermoset systems.
Read the full article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014305726000649?via%3Dihub
