The concept of covalent bond reformation has emerged as an innovative technology that aligns with green chemistry principles offering materials that can be recycled. These materials are referred to as Covalent Adaptable Networks (CANs). Having the valuable properties of crosslinked thermosets, these materials can be also reprocessed and reshaped as conventional thermoplastics. These unique abilities are imparted by the presence of crosslinks that become dynamic and undergo exchange by either associative or dissociative mechanisms under certain stimuli. In this work, we prepared a plant-oil based covalent-adaptable network from functionalized cottonseed oil, namely acrylated-epoxidized cottonseed oil (AECO). The AECO resin was synthesized and then photopolymerized with difunctional reactive diluent: 1,6-hexandiol diacrylate (HDDA) in the presence of 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropanone photoinitiator. The bond exchange in the AECO-based system was provided through dynamic transesterification, namely by incorporation of triazobicyclodecene catalyst in the UV-curable formulation. The presence of this catalyst enabled the transesterification reaction between ester and hydroxy groups, present in AECO, therefore, imparting the vitrimer properties. The activation energy of dynamic transesterification was determined to be 44.38 kJ/mol−1. The thermomechanical properties of the AECO vitrimer were evaluated and its ability to reprocess was shown. By incorporating dynamic bonds into an AECO-based network, we demonstrated the potential of biobased coatings to be reprocessable, thereby minimizing waste and resource consumption. The study paves the way for the development of reprocessable coatings and sets the goals for further innovations in coatings technology, particularly in terms of sustainability.

中文翻译：

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迈向可持续发展：评估植物油基材料的 vitrimer 行为和可再加工性


共价键重整的概念已成为一种创新技术，与绿色化学原则相一致，提供可回收的材料。这些材料被称为共价自适应网络 （CAN）。这些材料具有交联热固性塑料的宝贵特性，也可以作为传统热塑性塑料进行再加工和重塑。这些独特的能力是通过交联的存在赋予的，这些交联在某些刺激下变得动态并通过结合或解离机制进行交换。在这项工作中，我们从功能化棉籽油中制备了一种基于植物油的共价适应性网络，即丙烯酸酯-环氧化棉籽油 （AECO）。合成 AECO 树脂，然后在 2-羟基-2-甲基-1-苯丙酮光引发剂存在下用双官能反应性稀释剂：1,6-己二醇二丙烯酸酯 （HDDA） 进行光聚合。基于 AECO 的系统中的键交换是通过动态酯交换提供的，即通过在 UV 固化配方中掺入三氮双环十二烯催化剂。该催化剂的存在使 AECO 中存在的酯和羟基之间的酯交换反应成为可能，因此赋予了 vitrimer 特性。动态酯交换的活化能测定为 44.38 kJ/mol-1。评估了 AECO vitrimer 的热机械性能，并显示了其再加工能力。通过将动态键整合到基于 AECO 的网络中，我们展示了生物基涂料可再加工的潜力，从而最大限度地减少浪费和资源消耗。 该研究为可再加工涂料的开发铺平了道路，并为涂料技术的进一步创新设定了目标，特别是在可持续性方面。