Eco-friendly, self-repairing polymer materials based on reversible Diels-Alder chemistry

The recyclability and reuse of materials are essential for satisfying the current demand for polymers while alleviating the impact on the environment. Herein, a series of self-repairing polymeric materials were synthesized by exploiting the reversibility of the Diels-Alder (DA) reaction. The main polymer chains were composed of polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) and polypropylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PPGDGE). The DA reaction kinetics and the mechanism of retro-Diels-Alder (rDA) reaction were studied with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The cross-linking conversion rate exceeded 80% after 100 min and reached 99% after 50 h at 65 degrees C, which is remarkably higher and faster than previous studies. The polymeric material was shown to have excellent reusability and high-temperature self-repairing properties. In addition, the polymer was also capable of performing high-temperature shaping and solvent recovery shaping.