Synthesis of oxime ester‐based epoxy resin with chemical recyclability

Abstract Epoxy, a typical thermosetting resin, exhibits excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. However, it can cause environmental pollution when discarded prior to decomposition. In this study, a novel oxime epoxy based on 1,4‐benzoquinone dioxime was developed. It decomposes quickly under mild conditions and without requiring organic solvents, thus is environmentally friendly. The optimal curing temperature for benzoquinone oxime epoxy (BOE) with a curing agent was 85°C as determined by differential scanning calorimetry. In addition, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the BOE/1,6‐hexanediamine (HMDA) resin are 20 and 400 MPa, respectively, and T g is 76°C. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the BOE resin was thermally stable. Interestingly, BOE/HMDA degraded in 8 h under mild conditions. This rapid degradation will facilitate the development of new chemically degradable epoxy molecules with embedded oximes and provide insights into solving the environmental problems caused by discarded epoxy resin.