Sintering of sol-gel vitrimer composites – VITRISINT

The VITRISINT project aims to develop a range of highly cross-linked ‘vitrimer’ thermoset polymers, obtained by an original synthesis process involving condensation reactions in solvent and leading to colloidal particles akin to sol-gel processes. The structure of the building blocks, the presence of dynamic bonds, as well as appropriate catalysts, will provide particles with inherent malleability able to be sintered under compression to obtain homogeneous materials with excellent mechanical properties (Tg up to 300°C) as well as mechanical and chemical recycling features. The consortium gathers four laboratories (three French and one Luxembourgish) that bring recognized expertise in order to: i) exploit different dynamic chemistries, ii) improve the toughness of materials by the inclusion of elastomeric phases, iii) understand the physical phenomena and the sintering dynamics using in particular characterization by X-ray microtomography, iv) apply these materials to advanced carbon fiber composites obtained by filament winding, v) evaluate the recycling and reuse of matrices and fibers of these materials.