Recyclable, Repairable, and Fire-Resistant High-Performance Carbon Fiber Biobased Epoxy

Due to the global environmental concerns caused by the ever-increasing environmental impact, landfill materials, and CO 2 emission, there is a critical need in the elaboration of sustainable composite materials. Advanced material composites used in the production of high-performance products to solve some of the most difficult engineering challenges are having a key role in decarbonization by their light weight, higher performance, and increasing durability. In this work, sustainable carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs) have been engineered with an environmentally friendly epoxy resin derived from natural and renewable compounds employing an industrial feasible manufacturing protocol. The thermosetting resin with a biobased organic carbon content (BOC) of ∼77% was synthesized by combining a renewable based monomer, the triglycidyl ether of phloroglucinol (TGPh), with hexahydro-4-methylphthalic anhydride (HMPA). The developed CFRCs show high performance with high glass transitions T g > 350 °C, a high storage modulus ∼42 GPa, a high interlaminar shear strength ∼63 MPa, and a compressive strength ∼400 MPa. In addition, the outgassing tests show that both the resin and the CFRCs are compliant for space application. Moreover, the biobased CFRCs exhibit chemical recyclability, reprocessability, and excellent intrinsic flame resistance.