Industrial‐Grade Recyclable Carbon Fiber‐Reinforced Dynamic Thermoset Composites

ABSTRACT

Dynamic thermoset resins (DR), defined as thermosets containing dynamic covalent bonds, present a promising solution for addressing the challenge of closed‐loop recycling in carbon fiber reinforced thermoset (CFRP) composites. However, achieving large‐scale preparation of DR‐based CFRP and ensuring their compatibility with industrial equipment and production remain significant challenges. To address this issue, this work presents a full‐chain process solution, encompassing the molecular structure design, prepreg and product manufacturing, and recycling stages. Specifically, we successfully synthesize an industrial‐grade DR (IDR) with adjustable viscosity through the construction of a physically interpenetrating network between polyethersulfone chains and a polyester‐based dynamic covalent network. Large‐scale production of CF/IDR prepreg is achieved by existing industrial coating and roller impregnation techniques. Subsequently, CF/IDR prepregs are processed utilizing established industrial cutting, lamination, and autoclave curing to produce a large‐scale aircraft panel (1 m × 2 m), that reveals a reliable buckling performance with a strain of −3133 µε. Notably, the panel exhibits solvent‐assisted recyclability, owing to the dynamic reversible reaction of the IDR network, which enables complete recovery of both the resin and CF bundles. Moreover, the dynamic performance of the IDR network imparts reshapability and repairability to the panel. Therefore, this work demonstrates the feasibility of employing dynamic resin‐based CFRP in industrial applications.