Self-assembling nacre-like high-strength and extremely tough polymer composites with new toughening mechanism

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2022.05.063

J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2023, Vol. 136: 236-244.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2022.05.063

• Research Article • Previous Articles Next Articles

Self-assembling nacre-like high-strength and extremely tough polymer composites with new toughening mechanism

Yu Bu^a,b,1, Xu Wang^c,1, Xiuming Bu^d, Zhengyi Mao^e, Zhou Chen^e, Zebiao Li^a,b, Fengqian Hao^a,b, Johnny C. Ho^d, Jian Lu^a,b,e,*

^aCityU-Shenzhen Futian Research Institute, Shenzhen 518045, China;
^bCentre for Advanced Structural Materials, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Greater Bay Joint Division, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, 8 Yuexing 1st Road, Shenzhen Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518000, China;
^cMOE Key Laboratory of Impact and Safety Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China;
^dDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China;
^eDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China

Received:2022-04-15 Revised:2022-05-24 Accepted:2022-05-30 Published:2023-02-10 Online:2022-08-18
Contact: * CityU-Shenzhen Futian Research Institute, Shenzhen 518045, China. E-mail address: jianlu@cityu.edu.hk (J. Lu).
About author:¹ These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

Abstract: Achieving high strength, deformability and toughness in polymers is important for practical industrial applications. This has remained challenging because of the mutually opposing effects of improvements to each of these properties. Here, a self-assembling nacre-like polymer composite is designed to achieve extremely tough with increasing strength. This special design significantly improved polymer's mechanical properties, including an ultra-high fracture strain of 1180%, a tensile strength of 55.4 MPa and a toughness of 506.9 MJ/m³, which far exceed the highest values previously reported for polymer composites. This excellent combination of properties can be attributed to a novel toughening mechanism, achieved by the synergy of the domain-limiting effect of metallic glass fragments with the strain-gradient-induced orientation and crystallisation within the polymer during stretching. Our approach opens a promising avenue for designing robust polymer materials in armour and aerospace engineering for a range of innovative applications.

Key words: Polymer composites, Metallic glass thin film, Toughness, Toughening mechanism, Nacre-like fracture

Yu Bu, Xu Wang, Xiuming Bu, Zhengyi Mao, Zhou Chen, Zebiao Li, Fengqian Hao, Johnny C. Ho, Jian Lu. Self-assembling nacre-like high-strength and extremely tough polymer composites with new toughening mechanism[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2023, 136: 236-244.

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Self-assembling nacre-like high-strength and extremely tough polymer composites with new toughening mechanism

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