Fabrication of multi-functional bio-based vitrimer and conductive composites via ugi four-component polymerization

To alleviate the pressure of fossil fuels on the environment, a green and efficient idea is proposed to prepare a new class of bio-based vitrimers by introducing dynamic disulfide bonds into the cross-linked network with bio-based raw materials 1,8-methane diamine and 10-undecenal through Ugi four-component reaction and highly efficient UV curing method. Among these bio-based vitrimers, B-MDU₁₆ displays excellent self-healing ability, reprocessability and shape memory ability. Furthermore, conductive vitrimer composites based on bio-based vitrimers were fabricated by doping 5 wt% of MWCNTs, which also exhibited good electrical conductivity, photo-thermal properties, reprocessability and degradability as well as promising applications in the field of skin sensing. This study proposes to use Ugi-4CR to prepare bio-based vitrimer and composites, revitalizing this “ancient” organic reaction in the smart composites field and sustainable development strategy.