Cyclodextrin and its derivatives for the structural regulation of epoxy resins: Chemistry, mechanisms, and emerging applications

As a crucial high-performance thermosetting material, EP exhibits significant limitations in high-end applications due to its high crosslink density, resulting in brittleness, poor impact resistance, flammability, and lack of self-healing capability. CD and its CP derivatives offer a novel paradigm for optimising EP properties and enabling functional innovation through their unique ‘hydrophobic interior-hydrophilic exterior’ cavity structure and dynamically reversible host-guest interactions. This paper systematically reviews the functionalisation progress of CD and CP systems in epoxy resins, covering three aspects: an introduction to CD and CP; the synthesis of CD and CP derivatives for EP applications; and the application performance and mechanism of action of CD and CP in EP.