Mechanical properties and reprocessability of<scp>Diels‐Alder</scp>‐based reversible networks from furan‐modified resins
A. Marotta, Martina Salzano de Luna, Amalia D'Avino, Mattia Fornaro, Giovanni Filippone, Veronica Ambrogi
Abstract
Abstract The design of thermosetting materials needs to account for their environmental impact, both in the production and the end‐of‐life phases. In this study, the furan/maleimide Diels‐Alder (DA) chemistry is exploited to develop reprocessable and self‐healing networks. In particular, an epoxy monomer is first functionalized with furanic molecules obtaining DA precursors in which the diene moiety is either a pendant or a terminal group. These precursors are mixed at different relative ratios and then crosslinked with 4,4′‐bismaleimido‐diphenylmethane. The reversible nature of the formed network is investigated by thermal and dynamic‐mechanical analysis. Then the effect of the formulation, in terms of DA network architecture, on the mechanical properties and reprocessability of the resulting crosslinked materials is studied. In detail, the flexural behavior of the as‐prepared samples and reprocessed ones is evaluated, highlighting the influence of composition on the recycling efficiency.