posted on 2024-05-15, 17:10authored byVincent Schenk, Joséphine De Calbiac, Raffaele D’Elia, Philippe Olivier, Karine Labastie, Mathias Destarac, Marc Guerre
Initially
bound for landfill or incineration due to strong limitations
in their repair or recycling, thermoset composite materials have recently
received considerable attention in order to improve their end-of-life.
In this respect, vitrimers appear to be a solution of choice, as they
possess the capability for topological reconfiguration through an
associative exchange mechanism, imparting them glass-like properties
at high temperatures. However, despite these advances, studies with
particular focus on the process such as pultrusion, impregnation,
and resin transfer molding (RTM) remain scarce. In this work, a detailed
reactivity study was conducted on a vitrimer formulation based on
disulfide exchange chemistry toward the RTM process, which includes
the development of a time–temperature–transformation
(TTT) diagram. On this basis, vitrimer plates were successfully prepared
by RTM, yielding thermal and mechanical properties similar to the
reference epoxy resin. Additionally, while exhibiting very competitive
properties, the resulting vitrimer materials demonstrated the ability
to be reshaped and reprocessed. This work covers resin formulation,
reactivity, implementation into the RTM process and, ultimately, material
and mechanical characterization.