Abstract

Polyimide (PI), a special engineering plastic, features robust mechanical properties and exceptional thermal stability. However, its processing and molding are limited by thermal pressing, making the fabrication of high performance customized complex 3D shapes a significant challenge. Here, we present a PI combines high performance with the ability to access 3D printing and recyclability, facilitated by a snap-hook polyimide (SHPI) strategy based on dynamic boroxine network. Capping the liner PI with phenylboronic acid, which could reversible formation of six-membered boroxine rings occurs at both ends of the liner PI under heat and specific solvents, resulting in dynamic crosslinked PI (DCPI) and liner SHPI. Due to the stability and high bond energy of the boroxine, DCPI exhibits exceptional mechanical properties (tensile strength ti 110 MPa, Young's modulus ti 3 GPa) and thermal performance (Tg ti 223 degrees C, Td ti 539 degrees C). The selective cleavage of boroxine bonds enables the snap-hook functionality that allows reversible conversion between DCPI and SHPI, imparting solubility and facilitating infinite recyclability, 3D printability, and sustainable printability, thereby achieving the creation and elimination of high-performance PI 3D structures. Moreover, the 3D-printed PI sealing ring structure, as a demonstration, showcases its limitless potential for applications in the aerospace industry. This work opens new avenues for the personalized construction of high-performance engineering polymers and provides a viable approach for the development of sustainable 3D printing.

Keywords Plus：POLYMERS，THERMOSETS

Published in  CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL，Volume521；10.1016/j.cej.2025.166740，OCT 1 2025