Research article

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Endowing vitrimers with latent heat storage property can broaden their applications in fields of energy storage and thermal management. In this study, we present the fabrication of transesterification dynamic bonded epoxy resin vitrimer-based form-stable phase change materials (V-PCMs). Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), serving as the latent heat storage component, was covalently anchored within the vitrimer network. The prepared V-PCMs were then comprehensively characterized. The results revealed that the obtained V-PCMs prototype exhibited a reversible latent heat storage and release property via the ordering/disordering transformation of the PEG segment, achieving a high latent heat storage capacity of 63.2 J/g. The V-PCMs also exhibited outstanding thermal stability with no thermal decomposition below 350 °C in air, along with excellent leakage resistance up to 150 °C. The flexibility of the PEG segments endowed the prepared V-PCMs with good tensile properties. Additionally, the materials could be efficiently reprocessed via hot pressing without significant property degradation. This work presents a novel strategy for developing crosslinked and reprocessable V-PCMs, and broadening their potential for sustainable thermal energy storage and management applications.