Homogenizing Blends of Cross-linked Polymers by Interfacial Exchange Reactions

Obtaining homogeneous blends of two covalently cross-linked polymers by mechanical mixing is not possible due to their permanent network topologies. Here, we demonstrate an effective route to prepare polymer blends from the common cross-linked epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) and epoxy resin vitrimer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inACS applied materials & interfaces Vol. 14; no. 23; pp. 27309 - 27316
Main Authors Zhao, Shizhen, Yang, Hongkun, Zhao, Bin, Cao, Lifang, Wang, Dong, Russell, Thomas P.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Chemical Society 15.06.2022
Subjects
Applications of Polymer, Composite, and Coating Materials
epoxy resin
polymer blends
epoxidized natural rubber
interfacial exchange reactions
transesterification
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Summary:Obtaining homogeneous blends of two covalently cross-linked polymers by mechanical mixing is not possible due to their permanent network topologies. Here, we demonstrate an effective route to prepare polymer blends from the common cross-linked epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) and epoxy resin vitrimer (EV) by mechanical mixing. Interfacial exchange reactions between these two networks occur by a dynamic transesterification. The as-prepared ENR–EV blends show excellent mechanical strength, extensibility, and thermal stability. Moreover, they also show typical vitrimeric properties, including self-healing, welding, and reprocessability. This work demonstrates a large-scale preparation of vitrimeric materials with high performance and versatility from commercially available polymers and affords a promising strategy to recycle both waste rubbers and resins.
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ISSN:1944-8244
1944-8252
DOI:10.1021/acsami.2c06916