Chemical Recycling of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composites via Selective Cleavage of the Carbon-Nitrogen Bond

An efficient strategy is developed for chemical recycling of cured epoxy resin (CEP) from its carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFREP) using AlCl3/CH3COOH as the degradation system. Acetic acid swells the dense structures of CEP, facilitating the penetration of the aluminum ion catalyst into the polymer matrix. The weakly coordinating aluminum ions in CH3COOH solution selectively cleave the C-N bond while leaving the C-C, C-O (aryl alkyl ether) bonds intact. This process recovers valuable oligomers and carbon fibers from CFREP.