Epoxy Vitrimers

Epoxy vitrimers are emergent materials constituted of dynamic covalent networks combining the thermomechanical robustness of classical thermosets with the molecular flowability of viscoelastic materials. They derive conceptually from the junction of traditional epoxy chemistry—anchored in the industrial legacy of Castan and Greenlee—with modern advances in polymer chemistry and physics by associative exchange reactions. This chapter traces the evolution of epoxy materials from the first bisphenol A diglycidyl ether systems to the current vitrimeric architectures that operate under topological self-adjustment. Emphasis is placed on the reaction mechanisms of network formation, molecular origins of thermomechanical performance, network rearrangement and the global context of epoxy production, recycling and applications. Through these historical and mechanistic perspectives, the evolution to epoxy vitrimers emerges naturally: to introduce network topological dynamics into one of the most stable and inert material platforms. This characteristic enables epoxy vitrimers to behave like classic thermosets at service temperatures yet flow like viscoelastic liquids at elevated temperatures, enabling reprocessability, repairability, welding, and closed-loop recycling.