One-pot upcycling strategy achieved in Bi-continuous thermal conductive polymer composites

Abstract

Though upcycling post-consumer polymers into high-value materials is appealing, it faces challenges including complex, costly processes and difficulties to achieve a circular lifecycle. To address these issues, we have developed a novel approach that involves designing a unique bi-continuous phase morphology with selective distribution of the conductive fillers in the semi-crystalline polymer phase. As a result, these composites exhibited excellent thermal conductivity (7.07 W m−1·K−1) and stable environmental longevity (thermal aging and 500 h UV irradiation) and can be upcycled as effective flame retardant (vertical combustion grade V-0) and smoke suppressed materials (smoke density grade 64.1) after their service life as a thermal conductive material has ended. Rather than being discarded or undergo molecular upcycling, they could be straightforwardly repurposed through melt processing and even displayed better processability, suggesting a one-pot but effective upcycle strategy for polymeric materials.