Plastic shear bands and fracture toughness improvements of nanoparticle filled polymers: A multiscale analytical model

In this paper a multiscale model is provided to assess the toughening improvements in nanoparticle filled polymers caused by the formation of localised plastic shear bands, initiated by the stress concentrations around nanoparticles. The model quantifies the energy absorbed at the nanoscale and accounts for the emergence of an interphase zone around the nanoparticles. It is proved that the elastic properties of the interphase, which are different from those of the matrix, due to chemical interactions, highly affect the stress field rising around particles and the energy dissipation at the nanoscale.