On the Welding of Vitrimers: Chemistry, Mechanics and Applications

TLDR

Thermoplastics are weldable but mechanically weak, whereas thermosets are strong yet unweldable; vitrimer thermosets combine the best of both, enabling high‑performance, weldable materials. This review surveys the current state of vitrimer welding, outlining its chemistry, mechanics, assessment methods, design strategies, and applications, and identifies advantages, challenges, and future research directions. The authors review the chemistry and mechanics of vitrimer welding, assess mechanical testing methods, propose design principles and implementation strategies, examine how welding conditions affect strength and toughness, and explore applications to bonding chemically inert materials. The review highlights the advantages, challenges, and open questions of vitrimer welding, and outlines future opportunities in chemistry, mechanics, tough‑welding design, AI‑aided welding programming, and standardization of mechanical assessment.

Abstract

Abstract Linear chains in thermoplastics make them relatively weak in performance but inherently weldable and recyclable. By contrast, thermosets with permanently crosslinked networks possess outstanding mechanical performance, thermal, and chemical stability, but are unweldable and unrecyclable. In the last decade, a kind of thermoplastics‐like thermosets termed as vitrimer has been developed with extensive applications, in which welding of vitrimers plays a central and fundamental role. Herein, we present the current state of the art of the welding of vitrimers and discuss the welding of vitrimers from a broad picture of chemistry, physics, and mechanics: i) chemistry and mechanics of the welding of vitrimers; ii) applicability of the mechanical assessment methods for the welding of vitrimers; iii) design principles and implement strategies to the welding of vitrimers; iv) effects of welding conditions on the welding strength and toughness; and v) applications to the adhesion of chemically inert materials. Finally, advantages, challenges, and open questions to the welding of vitrimers are highlighted, and future opportunities in chemistry, mechanics, design of tough welding, artificial intelligence aided programming of welding technology, mechanical assessment standard, and so on are discussed. The development of vitrimer welding would fuse disciplines and make transformative impact in polymer industry.