Embedding reactive bonds leads to less breakable materials

Networks design and the mechanochemical reactivities of cross-linkers

A study by the Craig lab and collaborators provides a blueprint for rewriting historical performance rules for materials made from polymer networks. Adding a small fraction of reactive groups in the right places within conventional networks can make the materials about 10 times more difficult to tear, and systematic studies uncover a physical picture at the heart of the phenomenon.  Read here for more information: 

https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.adg3229