Reprocessable, recyclable and shape programmable epoxy vitrimers†

Epoxy vitrimers are versatile thermoset polymers with good mechanical and reprocessable properties. Generally, they are prepared with complex procedures by using petroleum-based monomers. Herein, we report a one-pot catalyst-free procedure to synthesize bio-based epoxy vitrimers. Diacrylate was used to react with amine via aza-Michael addition yielding β-amino esters with reversible dynamic covalent bonds which can be strengthened by the in situ generated tertiary amine groups. Because of the ester and β-amino esters, the bio-based epoxy vitrimers can be reprocessed and readily programmed. Moreover, due to the introduced ester group from diacrylate, the produced epoxy vitrimer showed good recyclability. This study provides a feasible strategy to develop intelligent materials based on epoxy vitrimers.