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Thermoset polymers and fiber-reinforced polymer composites possess the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties necessary for energy-efficient vehicles and structures, but their energy-inefficient manufacturing and the lack of end-of-life management strategies render these materials unsustainable. Here, we demonstrate end-of-life deconstruction and upcycling of high-performance poly(dicyclopentadiene) (pDCPD) thermosets with a concurrent reduction in the energy demand for curing via frontal copolymerization. Triggered material deconstruction is achieved through cleavage of cyclic silyl ethers and acetals incorporated into pDCPD thermosets. Both solution-state and bulk experiments reveal that seven- and eight-membered cyclic silyl ethers and eight-membered cyclic acetals are incorporated efficiently with norbornene-derived monomers, permitting deconstruction at low comonomer loadings. Frontal copolymerization of DCPD with these tailored cleavable comonomers enables energy-efficient manufacturing of sustainable, high-performance thermosets with glass transition temperatures of >100 °C and elastic moduli of >1 GPa. The polymers are fully deconstructed, yielding hydroxyl-terminated oligomers that are upcycled to polyurethane-containing thermosets having a higher glass transition temperatures than that of the original polymer upon reaction with diisocyanates. This approach is extended to frontally polymerized fiber-reinforced composites, where large-fiber volume fraction composites (Vf = 65%) containing a cleavable comonomer are deconstructed and the reclaimed fibers are used to regenerate composites via frontal polymerization that display properties nearly identical to those of the original. This work demonstrates that the use of cleavable monomers, in combination with frontal manufacturing, provides a promising strategy to address sustainability challenges for high-performance materials at multiple stages of their lifecycle.
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Efficient Exothermic Press toward Ultrafast and Scalable Manufacturing of Complex Polymer Composites
Abstract Rapid and scalable production of high‐performance composites remains a key challenge in achieving sustainable manufacturing. Here, Exo‐press frontal polymerization (EPFP), a novel and transformative method for manufacturing fiber‐reinforced thermoset polymer composites, overcoming energy efficiency, scalability, and curing complex geometries, is introduced. Unlike conventional curing methods that require prolonged processing times and high energy, EPFP utilizes exothermic heat to reduce curing time from hours to minutes with minimal external energy. Combining exothermic heat with press molding, the novel EPFP enables the efficient fabrication of complex geometries, such as airfoil skin sections, with high fiber volume fractions (above 60%). In addition, EPFP is compatible with commercial off‐the‐shelf epoxy by integrating frontal resin, showcasing its versatility and adaptability for diverse industrial applications. Composites manufactured using EPFP exhibit superior thermomechanical properties while significantly reducing energy consumption by 80% and production costs by 40%. This makes it a sustainable and efficient solution for polymer composites manufacturing.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2208130
- PAR ID:
- 10640412
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Science
- Volume:
- 12
- Issue:
- 38
- ISSN:
- 2198-3844
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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