Metallization of Vitrimers by cold spray: A preliminary study

Cold spray is a promising solution for the production of metallic coatings on polymer substrates. However, the adhesion mechanism between the impacting particle and the polymer in cold spraying depends on the chemical structure of the polymer itself. In this scenario, the emerging vitrimer polymers, which were proved to combine enhanced mechanical and chemical performances with abilities to be healed, welded, reprocessed, and recycled and that show a ductile behavior when exposed to given operating temperatures, can be particularly suitable for being functionalized by cold spray. Therefore, the aim of this work is to experimentally prove the feasibility of the metallization process via cold spray of epoxy vitrimer substrates. For this purpose, an epoxy vitrimer formulation was studied and experimentally characterized. Vitrimer-based panels were manufactured and used as substrates for the surface metallization. A low-pressure cold spray facility was used for the deposition of aluminum alloy particles. Microscope analyses were carried out for the characterization of the samples.