A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales

Soft composites are widely employed in industrial and biomedical fields, which often serve as load-bearing structural materials by virtue of a special combination of high strength, high toughness, and low flexural stiffness. Understanding the toughening mechanism of such composites is crucial for de...

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Main Authors: Wei Cui, Ruijie Zhu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-11-01
Series:Textiles
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/1/3/27
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author Wei Cui
Ruijie Zhu
author_facet Wei Cui
Ruijie Zhu
author_sort Wei Cui
collection DOAJ
description Soft composites are widely employed in industrial and biomedical fields, which often serve as load-bearing structural materials by virtue of a special combination of high strength, high toughness, and low flexural stiffness. Understanding the toughening mechanism of such composites is crucial for designing the next-generation soft materials. In this review, we give an overview of recent progress in soft composites, focusing on the design strategy, mechanical properties, toughening mechanisms, and relevant applications. Fundamental design strategies for soft composites that dissipate energy at different length scales are firstly described. By subsequently elucidating the synergistic effects of combining soft and hard phases, we show how a resulting composite can achieve unprecedented mechanical performance by optimizing the energy dissipation. Relevant toughening models are discussed to interpret the superior strength and fracture toughness of such soft composites. We also highlight relevant applications of these soft composites by taking advantage of their special mechanical responses.
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spelling doaj.art-7a347dc97e84484f850f4234d84540322023-11-23T10:48:45ZengMDPI AGTextiles2673-72482021-11-011351353310.3390/textiles1030027A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length ScalesWei Cui0Ruijie Zhu1State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, ChinaGraduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, JapanSoft composites are widely employed in industrial and biomedical fields, which often serve as load-bearing structural materials by virtue of a special combination of high strength, high toughness, and low flexural stiffness. Understanding the toughening mechanism of such composites is crucial for designing the next-generation soft materials. In this review, we give an overview of recent progress in soft composites, focusing on the design strategy, mechanical properties, toughening mechanisms, and relevant applications. Fundamental design strategies for soft composites that dissipate energy at different length scales are firstly described. By subsequently elucidating the synergistic effects of combining soft and hard phases, we show how a resulting composite can achieve unprecedented mechanical performance by optimizing the energy dissipation. Relevant toughening models are discussed to interpret the superior strength and fracture toughness of such soft composites. We also highlight relevant applications of these soft composites by taking advantage of their special mechanical responses.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/1/3/27soft compositemechanical propertytoughnesstoughening mechanismfabricationapplication
spellingShingle Wei Cui
Ruijie Zhu
A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales
Textiles
soft composite
mechanical property
toughness
toughening mechanism
fabrication
application
title A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales
title_full A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales
title_fullStr A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales
title_full_unstemmed A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales
title_short A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales
title_sort review on tough soft composites at different length scales
topic soft composite
mechanical property
toughness
toughening mechanism
fabrication
application
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/1/3/27
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