Bio-Based Recyclable Thermosets: From Renewable Sources to Circular Materials
Source abstract
Abstract
Integrating dynamic covalent networks with bio-based resources offers a powerful strategy to create recyclable thermosets while mitigating environmental and resource-related risks, advancing materials development toward a circular economy. Beyond sustainability, the structural diversity and functionality of renewable feedstock provide unique opportunities to design bio-based thermosets with tailored properties and advanced performance. This review summarizes recent progress in bio-based recyclable thermosetting polymers, with particular emphasis on the rational selection of renewable building blocks and their incorporation into recyclable, reprocessable, and high-performance networks. Key bio-derived functional motifs are discussed in terms of their reactivity, availability, and compatibility with dynamic covalent chemistries. Representative examples demonstrate closed-loop recycling, self-healing, stress relaxation, and shape reconfiguration without sacrificing mechanical integrity. Applications in carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites, flame-retardant materials, adhesives, and foams are highlighted to illustrate translational potential. Finally, remaining challenges and future opportunities are discussed, providing design principles for next-generation sustainable thermosets.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Polymer composites and self-healing · Chemistry and Chemical Engineering · Bioeconomy and Sustainability Development
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis #08-03, Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore 627833, Republic of Singapore
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117576, Republic of Singapore
Funding
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
References (100+)
Show source-provided references
1. 10.1002/adma.20231124210.1002/adma.202311242 ↗
2. 10.1038/s41578-021-00363-310.1038/s41578-021-00363-3 ↗
3. 10.1039/d3cs00713h10.1039/d3cs00713h ↗
4. 10.1039/d2gc01325h10.1039/d2gc01325h ↗
5. 10.1126/science.adj998910.1126/science.adj9989 ↗
6. 10.1002/adma.20190687610.1002/adma.201906876 ↗
7. 10.1002/anie.20190290010.1002/anie.201902900 ↗
8. 10.1016/j.mattod.2021.07.00310.1016/j.mattod.2021.07.003 ↗
9. 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c0093810.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00938 ↗
10. 10.1021/jacs.9b0792210.1021/jacs.9b07922 ↗
11. 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.2c0108310.1021/acsmaterialslett.2c01083 ↗
12. 10.1021/jacs.5c1221710.1021/jacs.5c12217 ↗
13. 10.1021/jacs.4c0534610.1021/jacs.4c05346 ↗
14. 10.1016/j.polymer.2025.12928910.1016/j.polymer.2025.129289 ↗
15. 10.1016/j.pmatsci.2020.10071010.1016/j.pmatsci.2020.100710 ↗
16. 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2020.10123310.1016/j.progpolymsci.2020.101233 ↗
17. 10.1016/j.chempr.2023.04.02410.1016/j.chempr.2023.04.024 ↗
18. 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.13469510.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134695 ↗
19. 10.1039/d5gc00794a10.1039/d5gc00794a ↗
20. 10.1021/mz400059w10.1021/mz400059w ↗
21. 10.3390/polym1315255610.3390/polym13152556 ↗
22. 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.12520210.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125202 ↗
23. 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b0058810.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00588 ↗
24. 10.1039/d4cs01044b10.1039/d4cs01044b ↗
25. 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.14290710.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.142907 ↗
26. 10.1002/cssc.20180059510.1002/cssc.201800595 ↗
27. 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.12776010.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127760 ↗
28. 10.1016/j.polymertesting.2024.10851510.1016/j.polymertesting.2024.108515 ↗
29. 10.3390/su1713620110.3390/su17136201 ↗
30. 10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2021.10503410.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2021.105034 ↗
31. 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2024.11107710.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2024.111077 ↗
32. 10.1016/j.mtsust.2022.10026510.1016/j.mtsust.2022.100265 ↗
33. 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2014.10.01110.1016/j.eurpolymj.2014.10.011 ↗
34. 10.1002/mame.20240039410.1002/mame.202400394 ↗
35. 10.1021/acsapm.4c0364910.1021/acsapm.4c03649 ↗
36. 10.1007/s10965-025-04457-210.1007/s10965-025-04457-2 ↗
37. 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.11125510.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2025.111255 ↗
38. 10.1039/D3GC00899A10.1039/D3GC00899A ↗
39. 10.1002/cssc.20250088010.1002/cssc.202500880 ↗
40. 10.1039/d2su00140c10.1039/d2su00140c ↗
41. 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.12044210.1016/j.carbpol.2022.120442 ↗
42. 10.1002/masy.20230023710.1002/masy.202300237 ↗
43. 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2016.04.01810.1016/j.eurpolymj.2016.04.018 ↗
44. 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2024.11278210.1016/j.eurpolymj.2024.112782 ↗
45. 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2024.11293510.1016/j.eurpolymj.2024.112935 ↗
46. 10.1016/j.polymer.2024.12693910.1016/j.polymer.2024.126939 ↗
47. 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2025.11373310.1016/j.eurpolymj.2025.113733 ↗
48. 10.1039/d2py00900e10.1039/d2py00900e ↗
49. 10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2025.10644310.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2025.106443 ↗
50. 10.1002/adma.20220900310.1002/adma.202209003 ↗
51. 10.1039/c3cs60044k10.1039/c3cs60044k ↗
52. 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b0200610.1021/acs.macromol.9b02006 ↗
53. 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c0072510.1021/acs.macromol.4c00725 ↗
54. 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c0000510.1021/acs.macromol.4c00005 ↗
55. 10.1021/acs.iecr.4c0310310.1021/acs.iecr.4c03103 ↗
56. 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c0846710.1021/acssuschemeng.3c08467 ↗
57. 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c0062610.1021/acssuschemeng.1c00626 ↗
58. 10.1016/j.cej.2024.15648610.1016/j.cej.2024.156486 ↗
59. 10.1002/anie.20181352510.1002/anie.201813525 ↗
60. 10.1126/science.121264810.1126/science.1212648 ↗
61. 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.4c0223510.1021/acsmaterialslett.4c02235 ↗
62. 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c0224710.1021/acs.macromol.1c02247 ↗
63. 10.1021/acs.macromol.7b0188910.1021/acs.macromol.7b01889 ↗
64. 10.1039/d2gc01556k10.1039/d2gc01556k ↗
65. 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c0264610.1021/acs.macromol.1c02646 ↗
66. 10.1002/marc.20230044510.1002/marc.202300445 ↗
67. 10.1039/d5ta02533h10.1039/d5ta02533h ↗
68. 10.1016/j.jcis.2025.13860510.1016/j.jcis.2025.138605 ↗
69. 10.1002/macp.20240006010.1002/macp.202400060 ↗
70. 10.1021/acsapm.3c0062910.1021/acsapm.3c00629 ↗
71. 10.1021/acsapm.2c0018310.1021/acsapm.2c00183 ↗
72. 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c0100010.1021/acs.macromol.4c01000 ↗
73. 10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c0687010.1021/acssuschemeng.2c06870 ↗
74. 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c0269910.1021/acs.macromol.0c02699 ↗
75. 10.1002/adfm.20231546910.1002/adfm.202315469 ↗
76. 10.1002/anie.20200431110.1002/anie.202004311 ↗
77. 10.1002/adfm.20250167710.1002/adfm.202501677 ↗
78. 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b0270010.1021/acs.macromol.9b02700 ↗
79. 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c0105910.1021/acs.biomac.0c01059 ↗
80. 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2023.11218510.1016/j.eurpolymj.2023.112185 ↗
81. 10.1016/j.cej.2022.13861010.1016/j.cej.2022.138610 ↗
82. 10.1021/acsomega.3c0745910.1021/acsomega.3c07459 ↗
83. 10.1039/D2QM01128J10.1039/D2QM01128J ↗
84. 10.1016/j.compositesb.2022.11018110.1016/j.compositesb.2022.110181 ↗
85. 10.1021/acsaenm.5c0015510.1021/acsaenm.5c00155 ↗
86. 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2025.11377210.1016/j.eurpolymj.2025.113772 ↗
87. 10.1016/j.apmt.2023.10199710.1016/j.apmt.2023.101997 ↗
88. 10.1021/acs.iecr.5c0189510.1021/acs.iecr.5c01895 ↗
89. 10.1002/adma.20240739810.1002/adma.202407398 ↗
90. 10.1002/anie.20240896910.1002/anie.202408969 ↗
91. 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c0023110.1021/acssuschemeng.1c00231 ↗
92. 10.1016/j.cej.2021.13251810.1016/j.cej.2021.132518 ↗
93. 10.1016/j.coco.2020.10044510.1016/j.coco.2020.100445 ↗
94. 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2023.11207810.1016/j.eurpolymj.2023.112078 ↗
95. 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.4c0136910.1021/acsmaterialslett.4c01369 ↗
96. 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2025.11351110.1016/j.mtcomm.2025.113511 ↗
97. 10.1038/s41596-025-01316-810.1038/s41596-025-01316-8 ↗
98. 10.1021/acsami.8b1052010.1021/acsami.8b10520 ↗
99. 10.1021/acsami.1c1741210.1021/acsami.1c17412 ↗
100. 10.1039/D4TA06980C10.1039/D4TA06980C ↗