Toughening strategy

A New Mechanism of Toughening Glassy Polymers 5.1 Toughening Strategies... 

It is also possible to manipulate the structure by introducing other monomers into the polymer chain, changing the mechanical properties of the final material by copolymerization. It is also common, for economic reasons or to increase mechanical properties, to add particulate solids to the polymer, such as wood flour or other additives, that will affect the final mechanical properties. Another common approach is the preparation of blends of two different polymers, which are commonly nonsoluble in each other, as a strategy to increase some mechanical properties such as impact strength, as in the well-studied case of nylon toughening by butyl rubber [8, 9],... 

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