Reinforcement Mechanisms in Filled Elastomers

Despite the abundance of filled elastomers in society, the mechanism by which fillers yield superior elastomer toughness is not well understood. As a result, achieving rational control of toughness and energy dissipation properties in functional materials such as passenger tires has been a major challenge. Here we describe coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of failure in filled elastomers spanning a range of filler properties. The resulting data provide new insights into the molecular origins of filler-induced toughening and the relationship between toughening and filler properties. These results provide guidance towards the rational design of high-toughness elastomers with targeted mechanical properties.