Toughening mechanisms in polymer nanocomposites: From experiments to modelling

A successful exploitation of nanocomposite materials founds on the development of models capable of predicting the macroscopic mechanical behaviour as a function of the nanostructure. To this end the most critical issue to overcome is the identification of the inherent mechanisms at the very nanoscale which might depend on the type, the morphology and the functionalisation of the nanofilleras well as on the loading conditions. Within this scenario, this work aims to review the main damage mechanisms reported in the literature for nano-reinforced thermosetting polymers, to include new insights and to discuss predictive models incorporating these mechanisms.