(576g) Glassy and Ductile Network Polymers As a Recyclable and Energy-Saving Alternative to Semicrystalline Thermoplastics

Most plastics are semicrystalline thermoplastic polymers. Strain-induced crystallization enables remarkably large plastic deformation, giving rise to the ductility and toughness found in plastics. Glassy thermosetting polymers, such as epoxy-based systems, are notoriously brittle and incapable of plastic deformation. Herein, we report a series of glassy, yet ductile thermosets synthesized by photopolymerization. This unique ductility is resulted from rationally designed “dual networks”: a primary, covalently linked network and a secondary, non-covalent network. Examples of such networks showed an impressive >100% elongation-at-break, > 1GPa Young’s modulus, and >30 MPa tensile yield strength, nearly identical to some of the most common polyolefin plastics. In addition, photopolymerization enables these thermosets to be fabricated at ambient conditions, a process that saves energy (as heat) in plastics material manufacturing.