Four isosorbide-based photocurable resins were designed
to reveal
correlations between the composition and chemical structure, digital
light processing (DLP) three-dimensional (3D) printability, thermoset
properties, and recyclability. Especially, the role of functional
groups, i.e., the concentration of ester groups vs the combination
of ester and imine functionalities, in the recyclability of the resins
was investigated. The resins consisted of methacrylated isosorbide
alone or in combination with methacrylated vanillin or a flexible
methacrylated vanillin Schiff-base. The composition of the resins
significantly affected their 3D printability as well as the physical
and chemical properties of the resulting thermosets. The results indicated
the potential of methacrylated isosorbide to confer rigidity to thermosets
with some negative effects on the printing quality and solvent-resistance
properties. An increase in the methacrylated vanillin concentration
in the resin enabled us to overcome these drawbacks, leading, however,
to thermosets with lower thermal stability. The replacement of methacrylated
vanillin with the methacrylated Schiff-base resin decreased the rigidity
of the networks, ensuring, on the other hand, improved solvent-resistance
properties. The results highlighted an almost complete preservation
of the elastic modulus after the reprocessing or chemical recycling
of the ester–imine thermosets, thanks to the presence of two
distinct dynamic covalent bonds in the network; however, the concentration
of the ester functions in the ester thermosets played a significant
role in the success of the chemical recycling procedure.