The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Commodity and engineering polymers are widely used but suffer from limited functional performance. To overcome this, rigid fillers are commonly introduced into semi-brittle polymer matrices; however, this often results in brittle failure due to stress concentration at the filler–matrix interface. Depending on interfacial adhesion, cracks propagate through debonding and deflection or through particle penetration and bridging.
To suppress these brittle behaviors, this study introduces an elastomer-coated rigid particle system prepared by melt-mixing. Microscopic crack-tip observations reveal that the elastomeric interphase redistributes stress, delays crack propagation, and enhances mechanical toughness. The effects of core–shell and separately dispersed morphologies between rigid particles and elastomeric phase on fracture behavior and toughening mechanisms are also discussed.