Dry Processing and Recycling of Thick Nacre–Mimetic Nanocomposites

Bioinspired nanocomposites with high levels of reinforcement hold great promise for future, green lightweight, and functional engineering materials, but they suffer from slow, tedious, nonscalable preparation routes, that typically only lead to very thin films. A rapid facile dry powder processing technique is introduced generate bioinspired nanocomposite materials at fractions reinforcements (50 wt%) millimeter scale thickness. The process uses drying vitrimer-coated nanoplatelets (nanoclay MXene) aqueous solution subsequent hot-pressing. As a method choice in industrial lightweight composite engineering, hot-pressing underscores potential translate this approach actual products. use the vitrimer chemistry temperature-activated bond shuffling important facilitate smooth integration into design, leading layered nacre-inspired nanoscale hard/soft order traced by X-ray diffraction excellent mechanical properties investigated using flexural tests. Recycling grinding possible without property loss. compatibility existing techniques, scalable thickness dimensions, recyclability open considerable opportunities translating real-life applications.