Interphase influences on the mechanical behavior of carbon nanotube–shape memory polymer nanocomposites: A micromechanical approach

Abstract

The effects of interphase characteristics on the elastic behavior of randomly dispersed carbon nanotube–reinforced shape memory polymer nanocomposites are investigated using a three-dimensional unit cell–based micromechanical method. The interphase region is formed due to non-bonded van der Waals interaction between a carbon nanotube and a shape memory polymer. The influences of temperature, diameter, volume fraction, and arrangement type of carbon nanotubes within the matrix as well as two interphase factors, including adhesion exponent and thickness on the carbon nanotube/shape memory polymer nanocomposite’s longitudinal and transverse elastic moduli, are explored extensively. Moreover, the results are presented for the shape memory polymer nanocomposites containing randomly oriented carbon nanotubes. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that the interphase region plays a crucial role in the modeling of the carbon nanotube/shape memory polymer nanocomposite’s elastic moduli. It is observed that the nanocomposite’s elastic moduli remarkably increase with increasing interphase thickness or decreasing adhesion exponent. It is found that when the interphase is considered in the micromechanical simulation, the shape memory polymer nanocomposite’s elastic moduli non-linearly increase as the carbon nanotube diameter decreases. The predictions of the present micromechanical model are compared with those of other analytical methods and available experiments.

Effects of interphase regions and filler networks on the viscosity of PLA/PEO/carbon nanotubes biosensor

“…Several studies have found that this low transition is attributed to the strong interfacial interactions between polymer chains and nanoparticles producing an immobilized layer adsorbed on the surface of nanoparticles. The formation of interphase and its efficiency on the mechanical and electrical properties of polymer nanocomposites have been reported in the previous articles . The interphase regions accelerate the percolation threshold and expand the networks .…”

Selective entanglement coupling of nanoparticles in polymer nanocomposite with high shape recovery stress

“…By substituting equation ( 29) into (20), the total number of entanglements (N) as functions of temperature (T) and stretch ratio (  ) can be obtained as,…”

“…However, the interfacial reactions, coupled confinements and coordinative motions of nanoparticles within the polymer matrix have not been fully understood [17,18]. A micromechanical model was previously utilized to study the interphase influences on the mechanical behavior of SMP nanocomposite, and the environmental conditions were considered in the modelling process [19,20]. Monte Carlo simulation was also used to study the percolation behavior of SMP nanocomposite reinforced by carbon black [21].…”

A numerical investigation on low velocity impact response of polymer-based nanocomposite plates containing multiscale reinforcements

“…In this situation, only non-bonded electrostatic and van der Waals (vdW) interactions are reflected between the CNT and polymer matrix [33,34]. Because of the fact that vdW interactions contribute more extremely in three higher orders of magnitude than electrostatic energy, the electrostatic interactions are ignored in comparison with vdW interactions [35][36][37]. In the micromechanics approaches, an equivalent solid continuum interphase is usually taken into account between the CNT and the polymer matrix characterizing the vdW interactions [34,36,38,39].…”