Epoxy resin will continue to be in the forefront of many thermoset applications due to its versatile properties. However, with advancement in manufacturing, changing societal outlook for the chemical industries and emerging technologies that disrupt conventional approaches to thermoset fabrication, there is a need for a multifunctional epoxy resin that is able to adapt to newer and robust requirements. Epoxy resins that behave both like a thermoplastic and a thermoset resin with better properties are now the norm in research and development. In this paper, we viewed multifunctionality in epoxy resins in terms of other desirable properties such as its toughness and flexibility, rapid curing potential, self-healing ability, reprocessability and recyclability, high temperature stability and conductivity, which other authors failed to recognize. These aspects, when considered in the synthesis and formulation of epoxy resins will be a radical advance for thermosetting polymers, with a lot of applications. Therefore, we present an overview of the recent finding as to pave the way for varied approaches towards multifunctional epoxy resins.

This review describes the recent developments in the field of Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction, in particular with regard to ligand‐free catalysis. The catalysts outlined here allow convenient and green synthetic pathways specifically for the construction of C–C bonds. They enable the synthesis of biaryls by the coupling arylboronic acids with aryl halides. The literature reporting ligand‐free synthesis of biaryls from 2010 to May 2015 has been reviewed.magnified image

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The high-volume manufacture of fiber-reinforced composites faces a huge challenge because long resin curing times put a low ceiling on the total output of parts produced per year. To translate the benefits from using epoxy in large-volume production platforms, cure cycle times of less than 1 min must be achieved. In this work, we report solvate ionic liquids (SILs) as simple and efficient rapid curing catalytic additives in epoxy systems. Ultrafast curing was observed at low levels of 1−5% of SIL in epoxy resin, and the cure rate is enhanced up to 26-fold without compromising the mechanical and thermal properties. Further investigations revealed that enhancement in the cure rate is dependent on the type of SILs employed, influenced by the metal center, the ligands around the metal, and the identity of the counter anion. The relative Lewis acidity of each of the active complexes was calculated, and the rapid cure effect was attributed to the activation of the epoxide moiety via the Lewis acidic nature of the SIL. Making epoxy thermosets rapidly processable enables enormous benefits, finding applications in a whole variety of transformation methods that exist for traditional glass and metals.

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Several environmental and techno-economic assessments highlighted the advantage of placing polystyrene-based materials in a circular loop, from production to waste generation to product refabrication, either following the mechanical or thermochemical routes. This review provides an assortment of promising approaches to solving the dilemma of polystyrene waste. With a focus on upcycling technologies available in the last five years, the review first gives an overview of polystyrene, its chemistry, types, forms, and varied applications. This work presents all the stages that involve polystyrene’s cycle of life and the properties that make this product, in mixtures with other polymers, command a demand on the market. The features and mechanical performance of the studied materials with their associated images give an idea of the influence of recycling on the structure. Notably, technological assessments of elucidated approaches are also provided. No single approach can be mentioned as effective per se; hybrid technologies appear to possess the highest potential. Finally, this review correlates the amenability of these polystyrene upcycling methodologies to frontier technologies relating to 3D printing, human space habitation, flow chemistry, vertical farming, and green hydrogen, which may be less intuitive to many.

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