The problem being addressed is the high cost and high embodied energy of advanced composite materials. This problem is being addressed by developing composite materials which are intrinsically recyclable, repairable, and easier to manufacture quickly. These new composites will be developed through combining natural and recycled fiber materials with the vitrimer resin system. During Phase I of this project, the project team will develop the first version of these new composite systems and study their weaknesses in order to develop improvements. The researchers anticipate optimizing the thermal conductivity to properly cure and process the new materials. The researchers also plan to assess moisture effects in natural fibers, and develop a novel process to prepare and coat these fibers for optimal performance regardless of moisture. Finally the researchers will study the impact of recycling on the material performance in subsequent use. The commercial applications that will result from this work are lightweight high performance materials for automotive, aerospace, wind, marine, and other applications which are actually beneficial to the environment (through carbon negative production), can be repaired, reused and recycled easily.
