Recycling strategies for vitrimers

ABSTRACT Vitrimer is a new type of material that combine the advantages of thermoplastic and thermoset materials. The rapid dynamic exchange reactions at high temperature allow the topology of cross-linked networks to change and rearrange while keeping material structures and properties intact. The concept of vitrimer has emerged to provide a viable strategy for the recycling of high-performance polymer materials, and lots of research works have been carried out for the development of various types of vitrimers. In addition, the recycling strategies for vitrimers are particularly important to determine the performance and potential applications of the recovered materials. Therefore, it is an innovative and valuable perspective to discuss vitrimer materials according to their different recycling strategies. In this review, we start with a brief overview of vitrimers, and then, focus on recycling strategies for vitrimers. Specifically, we highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the two different recycling strategies: physical and chemical recycling methods, and then explore the feasibility of upcycling vitrimers using 3D printing technology. Finally, the impact of recycling strategies on vitrimer materials and the prospects for maximizing the use of vitrimer materials are discussed. Graphical abstract