Mechanically strong, reprocessable and chemically recyclable furan-based poly(acylhydrazone)s materials with hydrogen-bonding networks

Acylhydrazone linkages are attractive in designing reconfigurable and chemically recyclable polymer due to their reversible characteristics and ease of preparation. We fabricate mechanically strong, thermally stable and chemically recyclable poly(acylhydrazone)s (pDFF-IPDH) using biobased 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) and dihydrazide compounds as monomers. The linear chains are physically cross-linked via hydrogen bonding between the acylhydrazone moieties. The pDFF-IPDH sample exhibits good mechanical properties, offering both high strength and toughness. The linear and reversible acylhydrazone backbones endow polymers with attractive temperature-dependent dynamic natures, which enables the topological network to rearrange, giving the poly(acylhydrazone)s excellent reprocessability. Moreover, the feasibility of formaldehyde-promoted depolymerization presents an effective recycling pathway, offering promising opportunities in addressing the challenge between recyclability and service performance.