Sustainable poly(imide-imide) vitrimer based on multiple dynamic covalent bonds

Polyimide materials with high mechanical strength are widely used in various fields, but pose certain challenges in achieving sustainable material utilization. A poly(imide-imide) vitrimer material (ADTA) based on multiple dynamic covalent bonds (imide, imine, and disulfide bonds) was constructed by preparing vanillin difunctionalized derivatives (DVA) for aldolamine condensation reactions with bis-amine monomers (ATFA) and tris(2-aminoethyl) amines (TAEA) with imide structures. The ADTA material has good 5% thermal stability T_d5% (278.87°C), high energy storage modulus E (2421.26 MPa), and fast relaxation time (36.39 s). The thermal stability and mechanical properties of the material are enhanced by the more stable alicyclic structure of the imide structure. The material also demonstrated excellent solvent resistance and self-healing properties. This study provides a new option for the development of sustainable utilization of polyimide materials.