Investigating the Mechanical Performance of Vitrimers Reinforced with Hollow Glass Beads Using Digital Image Correlation Technique

Vitrimers are a new class of polymeric materials, which contain exchangeable cross-links. In the recent years, several polymeric reactions and chemical modifications are introduced in the synthesis of vitrimers. Among them, the vitrimers based on thermoplastic materials are of high interest because they exhibit high flowability when heated, while retaining the cross-linked structure at higher temperature. This aids in the preparation of highly rigid vitrimers at relative ease. In this study, vitrimers based on thermoplastic polymeric material poly(butylene terephthalate) are synthesized. Particulate-reinforced composites are prepared from the vitrimers by introducing hollow glass beads (HGB) at different weight percentages. The mechanical behaviour of these innovative materials is studied using Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique. The experimental campaign shows the potential of these innovative composites in the structural applications.