Vitrimers are thermally reversible crosslinked polymers that combine the performance of thermosets with the benefits of melt (re)processing. However, existing high-storage modulus vitrimers lack this melt-reprocessibility. This study reports on high storage modulus vitrimers obtained by grafting vinyltrimethoxysilane onto high-density polyethylene (HDPE) using silyl ether crosslinker, bis[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]amine. We also explored the effects of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinol and diethyl maleate on the performance of these vitrimers. All vitrimers reported herein are prepared in one step via melt-extrusion without the use of any solvent or catalyst. These vitrimers were characterized via differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis and mechanical testing. Selected vitrimers were melt-reprocessed six times and assessed for changes in their storage modulus and mechanical strength by industry-relevant extrusion processing. This study is the first of its kind to offer a solvent-free, single-step approach for the synthesis of vitrimers from HDPE. These vitrimers exhibit an impact strength five times higher relative to that of conventional HDPE, a very high storage modulus (1.58 MPa) at 180C, and full melt-reprocessability. Considering that extrusion and injection molding is used, the storage modulus achieved in this study is significantly higher than that of vitrimers generated by compression molding, which is commonly used in previous research.

中文翻译：

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一锅法合成具有增强性能和可回收性的坚固硅醚基 HDPE vitrimer


Vitrimer 是热可逆交联聚合物，它将热固性材料的性能与熔融（再）加工的优点结合在一起。然而，现有的高储能模量玻璃体缺乏这种熔融再加工性。本研究报告了使用甲硅烷基醚交联剂双[3-(三甲氧基甲硅烷基)丙基]胺将乙烯基三甲氧基硅烷接枝到高密度聚乙烯(HDPE)上获得的高储能模量玻璃体。我们还探讨了 2,2,6,6-四甲基-4-哌啶醇和马来酸二乙酯对这些 vitrimer 性能的影响。本文报道的所有 vitrimer 均通过熔融挤出一步制备，无需使用任何溶剂或催化剂。通过差示扫描量热法、傅里叶变换红外光谱、热重分析、动态力学分析和力学测试对这些玻璃体进行了表征。选定的玻璃体经过六次熔融再加工，并通过行业相关的挤出加工评估其储能模量和机械强度的变化。这项研究首次提供了一种无溶剂、一步法从 HDPE 合成玻璃体的方法。这些 vitrimer 的冲击强度是传统 HDPE 的五倍，在 180C 时具有非常高的储能模量 (1.58 MPa)，并且具有完全熔融再加工性。考虑到采用挤出和注射成型，本研究中实现的储能模量明显高于先前研究中常用的压缩成型产生的玻璃体。