Preparation of bio-based epoxy resin Vitrimer and its closed-loop recycling characteristics
ZHENG Kai
HU Jie
LI Chunlin
LIU Lin
LI Chengjie
MA Juanjuan
Abstract：Epoxy resin is one of the most widely used thermosetting polymers,playing an indispensable role in aerospace and electronic packaging fields.However,its reliance on petroleum-based raw materials such as bisphenol A raises concerns over toxicity and non-recyclability,which significantly hinders the broader application and development of thermosetting resin-based composites.To address these issues,this study innovatively employs bio-based epoxy soybean oil and itaconic acid as raw materials to synthesize a novel bio-based epoxy Vitrimer through precise regulation of the crosslinking reaction between epoxy and carboxyl groups.A reversible crosslinked network formed via dynamic transesterification endowed the ma-terial with tensile strength of 1.71 MPa,elongation at break of 41%,and an ultrahigh adhesion strength of 6.1 MPa,enabling effective bonding of diverse substrates.The dynamic reversible network also impar-ted excellent reprocessability and physical-mechanical recyclability to the epoxy Vitrimer.After three cy-cles of hot pressing,the material retained 83%of its original mechanical strength.This design strategy based on bio-derived feedstocks and dynamic covalent bonds provides a promising pathway for developing next-generation high-performance green thermosetting resins with enhanced sustainability.
Keywords：bio-based epoxy resindynamic covalent chemistryclosed-loop recyclingmechanical proper-tiesadhesion
Publication Date：2026-04-25
Online Publishing Date：2026-08-28(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 255-262 )