Modern Fillers of Metal and Polymer Matrices

The review article describes modern fillers of metal and polymer matrices, their properties and applications. We discuss the main parameters of fillers, their advantages and disadvantages, the results of investigations and experiments, which may be useful for scientists and engineers working in the fields of chemistry and materials science and developing new promising materials. Different materials used as the fillers for metal and polymer matrices are reviewed. To create composites of the new generation with improved properties, nanostructured materials such as graphene, fullerenes, nanotubes, nanopowders of metals and their alloys are used. Carbon fillers can be the strongest graphitizer, which is important for ferrous metallurgy. Nanofillers have the ultradispersed dimensions and high specific-surface values, which allows for changing significantly the physicochemical and functional characteristics of the matrix. As noted in the article, the use of fillers allows controlling the structural composition of the melt and helps to form additional crystallization centres. This, in turn, can affect significantly the properties of the material, such as mechanical strength, heat resistance, etc.