Abstract
Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) offer improved energy efficiency in aerospace and automobile applications due to lightweight and mechanical robustness but face challenges with limited recyclability and frequent fiber-polymer delamination caused by inadequate interfacial adhesion. Here, we report an effective design of tough and closed-loop recyclable carbon-fiber-reinforced vitrimers (CFRVs) with exceptional interfacial adhesion through the synergy of a boronic ester-modified commodity polymer, multidiol cross-linker, and diol-functionalized carbon fibers (CFs). The dynamic covalent bonding between the vitrimer and fiber interface results in 43% higher interfacial adhesion than that of CFRVs with pristine CFs. Moreover, CFRVs with diol-CFs exhibit ∼731-MPa tensile strength, 26% higher than unmodified CFRVs and 49% higher than conventional epoxy CFRPs. Importantly, the dynamic boronic ester exchange enables CFRV closed-loop recyclability, repairability, fast thermoformability, self-adhesion, and multicycle processability without compromising mechanical performance. The designed dynamic fiber-matrix interaction will open up a new paradigm of multifunctional CFRPs while providing a path toward closed-loop structural materials.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 101695 |
| Journal | Cell Reports Physical Science |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 20 2023 |
Funding
The work was supported by the United States Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). Raman imaging analysis was financially supported by Dr. Imre Gyuk, Energy Storage Program, Office of Electricity, United States Department of Energy. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan). M.A.R. and T.S. conceived the idea. M.A.R. and M.S.K. designed and conducted the experiments. M.A.R. M.S.K. C.C.B. G.Y. S.K. B.L. V.C. N.G. C.G. D.P. A.P.S. and A.K.N. performed materials characterizations. M.A.R. M.S.K. and T.S. wrote and revised the manuscript. C.C.B. A.P.S. and A.K.N. edited the manuscript. All authors read and edited the manuscript. A patent application has been submitted based on this study (M.A.R. T.S. and M.S.K. US Provisional Application Serial No. 63/467,026). We support inclusive, diverse, and equitable conduct of research. The work was supported by the United States Department of Energy , Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). Raman imaging analysis was financially supported by Dr. Imre Gyuk, Energy Storage Program , Office of Electricity, United States Department of Energy . This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ).
Keywords
- carbon fiber
- closed-loop recycling
- composites
- dynamic bonds
- interface
- interfacial adhesion
- thermoset
- vitrimer
