Highly Tear-Resistant Recyclable Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites Relying on Woven Cross-Linked Polyurethanes.

Wang, Shunli; Li, Yinsheng; Tian, Limei · Nano Lett · 2025

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

The poor ductility and irreversible properties of covalently cross-linked polymers result in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) with low tear resistance and nonrecyclability. In this work, a flexible woven polyurethane (WPPN<sub>n</sub>) prepared via a woven cross-linker was used for the first time as a binder for CFRPs. WPPN<sub>2000</sub> exhibited an ultrahigh strength of 50.4 MPa, a toughness of 267.2 MJ m<sup>-3</sup>, and an excellent fracture energy (211.6 kJ m<sup>-2</sup>). Simulation results and characterization tests confirmed the high energy dissipation of the woven network. The WPPN<sub>2000</sub>-CF composites achieved a tear resistance of 1004.5 kJ m<sup>-2</sup>, which is 16.4 times higher than that of the epoxy-CF composites (61.2 kJ m<sup>-2</sup>). In addition, due to the dynamic nature of the woven cross-linking, the carbon fiber can be recovered nondestructively using solvent. The woven cross-linking strategy provided new ideas for the design of carbon fiber adhesives.