Vitrimers in 4D-printing Resins

Converting polymeric waste into valuable materials is an emerging research direction for the circular economy. Vitrimers have been introduced as a class of materials that, based on dynamic bonds, provide an adaptable polymer network. When an exchange reaction is triggered, the network structure can be rearranged in response to an external stimulus. Advanced characteristics like self-healing, shape memory, recyclability, and reprocessability can be induced by this phenomenon. The combination of this approach with four-dimensional (4D) printing of responsive polymers can result in parts made of materials in myriad applications like soft robotics, medicine, construction, and the automotive industry. This chapter presents the advanced properties of vitrimers along with different types of chemistries. It describes the recent works related to 4D-printable vitrimer resin formulations with self-healing, shape memory, and recyclability properties and sustainable formulations.