Fardin Khabaz, The University of Akron
Ralm Ricarte, Florida State University
The emergence of dynamic covalent chemistry has led to the advent of a new class of polymers called vitrimers, which are malleable at high temperatures and show network integrity at operating temperatures. In addition to the glass transition temperature, which is seen in permanently crosslinked polymers, vitrimers exhibit topology freezing temperature that marks the transition from rubbery to viscoelastic liquid behavior. The interplay of the different relaxation processes, such as structural rearrangement time, the lifetime of the exchangeable bonds, and macroscopic deformation timescale, leads to rich linear and nonlinear rheological and mechanical properties in vitrimers. This symposium will combine simulation, theoretical, and experimental studies to identify key parameters and physics underlying mechanical and rheological behaviors of vitrimers.