Since the advent of synthetic polymers in the early 20th century, polymer research has mainly focused on the synthesis of polymers. Looking forward to the next century, growing environmental and resource concerns are shifting the focus of polymer science toward sustainable management, with closed-loop recycling emerging as an ideal pathway. Nevertheless, chemically cross-linked thermosetting polymer networks remain particularly challenging to recycle in a closed-loop manner. Dynamic covalent chemistry has recently shown promise as a viable strategy, though the field is still in its early stages. In this review, we examine the inherent obstacles to the closed-loop recycling of polymer networks, trace the development of dynamic covalent chemistry, and provide an overview of reversible chemical systems suitable for network closed-loop recycling. Based on these insights, we highlight current challenges and provide forward-looking perspectives on how further advances in dynamic covalent chemistry can drive sustainable development in polymer materials, contributing to the growth of this emerging area.
Yang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.