Abstract Soft fiber‐reinforced polymers (FRPs), consisting of rubbery matrices and rigid fabrics, are widely utilized in industry because they possess high specific strength in tension while allowing flexural deformation under bending or twisting. Nevertheless, existing soft FRPs are relatively weak against crack propagation due to interfacial delamination, which substantially increases their risk of failure during use. In this work, a class of soft FRPs that possess high specific strength while simultaneously showing extraordinary crack resistance are developed. The strategy is to synthesize tough viscoelastic matrices from acrylate monomers in the presence of woven fabrics, which generates soft composites with a strong interface and interlocking structure. Such composites exhibit fracture energy,Γ, of up to 2500 kJ m−2, exceeding the toughest existing materials. Experimental elucidation shows that the fracture energy obeys a simple relation,Γ = W · lT, whereWis the volume‐weighted average of work of extension at fracture of the two components andlTis the force transfer length that scales with the square root of fiber/matrix modulus ratio. SuperiorΓis achieved through a combination of extraordinarily largelT(10–100 mm), resulting from the extremely high fiber/matrix modulus ratios (104–105), and the maximized energy dissipation density,W. The elucidated quantitative relationship provides guidance toward the design of extremely tough soft composites.
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Nontoxic, precious-metal-free titanium-based metallic glasses with exceptional glass-forming ability and high specific strength
Titanium-based metallic glasses (TBMGs) are attracting broad interest due to their simultaneous light weight, superhigh strength, and specific strength, exceptional wear- and corrosion-resistance and biocompatibility, desirable for electronic, biomedical, and aerospace applications. However, the glass-forming ability (GFA) of TBMGs, except some containing significant amount of toxic (Be) or precious (Pd, Ag) elements, is disappointingly low, as manifested by a critical casting diameter (dc) not more than 6 mm, which significantly restricts their manufacturing and applications. Here, we report our discovery of a series of TBMGs in the (TiZrHf)x(CuNi)y(SnSi)z pseudo-ternary system. These alloys possess an exceptionally large dc, reaching up to 12 mm, doubling the current record for Be and precious-metal free TBMGs. Moreover, these alloys exhibit a low density (7.0–7.3 g/cm3), high fracture-strength (up to ∼2700 MPa), high specific fracture-strength (up to ∼370 N m g−1), and even good plasticity with a plastic strain of up to 9.4% upon compression. They also possess high activation energy for crystallization and high atomic packing efficiency, which provide an initial physical account for their exceptional GFA and manufacturability.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2221854
- PAR ID:
- 10517647
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Institute of Physics
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Volume:
- 124
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0003-6951
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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