Strengthening and toughening epoxy polymer at cryogenic temperature using cupric oxide nanorods

At cryogenic temperatures thermoset polymers suffer from low fracture toughness. Herein, we present a strengthening and toughening technique for cryogenic applications using cupric oxide (CuO) nanorods. These nanorods are synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction to give an average length of 1.64 μm and a diameter of 270 nm. They exhibit a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) at cryogenic temperatures, due to the magnetostriction effect....