Date of Award
Spring 4-26-2022
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Polymer Science and Engineering
Committee Chair
Derek L. Patton
Committee Chair School
Polymer Science and Engineering
Committee Member 2
Sergei Nazarenko
Committee Member 2 School
Polymer Science and Engineering
Committee Member 3
Robson F. Storey
Committee Member 3 School
Polymer Science and Engineering
Committee Member 4
Yoan C. Simon
Committee Member 4 School
Polymer Science and Engineering
Committee Member 5
Jason D. Azoulay
Committee Member 5 School
Polymer Science and Engineering
Abstract
Thermoset polymer networks are ubiquitous in the construction of high-performance materials due to their excellent mechanical properties, solvent resistance, and thermomechanical performance. However, the crosslinked structure that instills these materials with favorable performance also makes them incredibly resistant to degradation and are nearly impossible to recycle – adding to the ever-growing problem of plastic pollution. Hydrolytically degradable thermosets have emerged as a potentially sustainable alternative to traditional thermosets by affording networks that are inherently degradable in aqueous environments. This dissertation focuses on the development of hydrolytically degradable thermoset networks with tunable degradation behavior through the implementation of ketal-based crosslinks. Given the wide range of ketal monomer structures in conjunction with highly modular step-growth polymerization methods provides the ability to tailor network hydrolytic stability and thermomechanical performance of thermoset networks.
Chapter I of this dissertation introduces the fundamentals of thermoset networks and establishes the need for hydrolytically degradable thermoset alternatives for traditional thermoset products as well as thermoset-based carbon fiber composite materials. Chapter II focuses on hydrolytically degradable poly(β-thioester ether ketal) using radical-mediated thiol-ene photopolymerization and investigates the effect of acyclic ketal crosslink structure on network degradation behavior and thermomechanical properties. Chapter III then extends the work in the previous section into the implementation of cyclic ketal crosslinks and their effect on the hydrolytic stability of poly(β-thioester ether ketal) networks. Finally, Chapter IV investigates ketal-based epoxy amine networks as the degradable matrix component of recyclable carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites.
ORCID ID
0000-0003-3689-9719
Copyright
Benjamin M. Alameda
Recommended Citation
Alameda, Benjamin, "Hydrolytically Degradable Thermosets with Tunable Degradation Profiles via Ketal-Based Crosslinks" (2022). Dissertations. 2017.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/2017