Polymer toughness transfer in a transparent interpenetrating glass–polymer composite

Nanoporous glass–polymer composites provide a convenient, manufacturable solution for producing transparent composite materials. Such materials may fulfill needs for next-generation, impact- and blast-resistant transparencies in applications such as vehicle windshields and architectural windows. In this work we manufacture transparent composites from a commercially available nanoporous glass by infiltrating the glass with monomer and polymerizing in situ, resulting in an interpenetrating network of glass and polymer. Here, we show that the toughness of the polymer phase plays a significant role in overall composite toughness. Experiments show that, on average, a 100% increase in polymer toughness corresponds to an approximate 40% increase in overall composite toughness.