The marine industry has been a major user of polymer composites for over 50 years. There has been a strong historical preference for glass fibre reinforced thermoset polymers, mainly polyesters and epoxies, but manufacturers are starting to realize that the current materials and practices are not sustainable. As a result, there is increasing interest in alternative materials, which offer the prospects of lower carbon footprints, reduced environmental impacts or both. The design decisions made today are critical, as many marine structures are designed for 20 to 30 years lifetime. In order to focus on viable solutions, it is essential to base these decisions on a balanced overview of the many new materials and processes. This review provides an up-to-date evaluation of emerging material options, fibres, matrix polymers and sandwich core and associated manufacturing developments. First, materials for the pleasure boat industry are discussed. Then high performance carbon fibre composite applications are described. These are discussed with respect to end of life scenarios such as re-use and recycling, life cycle assessment is examined. Recent examples of changes in material selection philosophy and associated benefits for sustainability illustrate what is possible and what remains to be done.

中文翻译：

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可持续聚合物复合海洋结构：发展与挑战


50 多年来，船舶工业一直是聚合物复合材料的主要用户。历史上人们对玻璃纤维增​​强热固性聚合物（主要是聚酯和环氧树脂）有着强烈的偏好，但制造商开始意识到当前的材料和实践是不可持续的。因此，人们对替代材料越来越感兴趣，这些材料有望降低碳足迹、减少环境影响或两者兼而有之。今天做出的设计决策至关重要，因为许多海洋结构的设计使用寿命为 20 至 30 年。为了专注于可行的解决方案，必须将这些决策建立在对许多新材料和工艺的平衡概述的基础上。本综述提供了对新兴材料选择、纤维、基质聚合物和夹心芯材以及相关制造发展的最新评估。首先，讨论游船行业的材料。然后描述了高性能碳纤维复合材料的应用。这些都是针对生命周期结束场景（例如再利用和回收）进行讨论，并检查生命周期评估。最近材料选择理念的变化以及可持续发展的相关效益的例子说明了哪些是可能的，哪些是有待完成的。