Viscoelasticity of polymers filled by rigid or soft particles: Theory and experiment

An improved modeling for the viscoelasticity of polymers filled by rigid or soft inclusions is proposed. Such a self-consistent scheme can predict the strong increase in the reinforcement effect of the polymer matrix observed for large volume fractions of fillers. Then, it is based on both (i) the percolation concept and (ii) the definition of an original ''representative morphological motif'' accounting for local phase inversions due to the presence of clusters of particles. To illustrate the validity of such an approach, the predicted viscoelasticity of polystyrene filled either by glass beads or by rubbery inclusions is compared with experimental data and/or theoretical results that issue from other modelings.