Abstract
Recent advances in the microscopic understanding of the mechanical properties of model nanocomposites-polyethylacrylate filled with monodispersed spherical silica nanoparticles-are reviewed. The structure of the fillers dispersion has been obtained by small angle neutron scattering combined with reverse Monte Carlo simulations, yielding the nanoparticles pair correlation function. The dynamics of the polymer chains has been investigated using low-field NMR. It was interpreted using a glass transition temperature gradient around the fillers. The mechanical properties have been studied using oscillatory shear experiments. The Payne effect has been found to be correlated with the average number of immobilized polymer bridges between particles.