Stress Relaxation Behavior and Electrically Activated Dynamic Exchange in Carbon Nanotube-Modified Epoxy Vitrimers

Abstract

Vitrimers are a class of cross-linked polymers with the potential of reprocessing/reshaping, repairing, and recycling. In this paper, carbon nanotubes were either dispersed in the epoxy matrix or used as functional coatings for the development of vitrimer-based polymer systems with short stress relaxation times, relatively high electrical conductivities, and possibility of reshaping using electro-triggering. By selecting the location where the electrical voltage was applied, it was possible to control through electrical resistance heating the activation of the dynamic bonds of the vitrimer matrix, enabling the reconfiguration of the material. It is worth noting that this strategy will pave way for the manufacture of thermosetting polymers with both reconfigurability and functional properties.