Mechanical and Optical Properties of Stretchable Silicon Nanocrystal/Polydimethylsiloxane Nanocomposites

Abstract

Nanoparticle‐infused polymer composites have long been an area of interest due to the typically stabilizing effects they have on the mechanical behavior of the composites, as well as added functionalities such as reduced surface resistance. Newer applications of these nanocomposites include dispersing optoelectronically functional nanoparticles in polymer matrices, for example, including luminescent nanocrystals in rigid slabs for luminescent solar concentrating photovoltaics and electrochromic panels. Dispersion of luminescent nanocrystals in stretchable polymers adds novel possibilities for applications, such as wearable health monitoring systems, flexible communications devices, and more. To leverage the exciting combined properties that these nanocomposites promise, there is a pressing need to evaluate and understand the interconnections between the optical effects, mechanical behavior, and the properties of the constituents. Herein, the optical and mechanical behavior of brightly emissive silicon nanocrystal/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposites are investigated as a function of nanocrystal concentration and nanocrystal surface functionality. Mechanically, incorporating the nanocrystals at higher concentration leads to a dramatic reduction in the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite. The results suggest that the nanocrystal inclusions interfere with polymer cross‐linking, changing the mechanical behavior of the host PDMS as compared to the control.

Mechanical behavior of SiNC layers on PDMS: effects of layer thickness, PDMS modulus, and SiNC surface functionality

“…[28][29][30][31] We recently published our research on the differences in neo-Hookean coefficient for nanocomposites of SiNCs and PDMS, based on surface functionality. 39 We found that the surface-functionalized SiNCs in the composite did decrease the neo-Hookean coefficient, but not as dramatically as the bare SiNCs. Because we saw a change in the mechanical behavior of the SiNCs and the surrounding PDMS dependent on surface functionality, we expected to see an effect of functionalization on the mechanical properties of the thin SiNC layers.…”

“…Despite our ndings for the nanocomposites, our results here suggest that the functionalization does not change, mechanically, the particle-to-particle interaction. 39 We intend to continue to probe the dependence of the neo-Hookean coefficient based on the SiNC surface for ultra-thin layers, but as a direct comparison to the standard sample, we observed no difference.…”

Adaptive prescribed‐time disturbance observer using nonsingular terminal sliding mode control: Extended Kalman filter and particle swarm optimization

“…In the first step, the system (1) should be discretized as 𝑥 𝑘 = 𝑓 𝑐𝑙 (𝑥 𝑘−1 ) + 𝑤 𝑘−1 𝑦 𝑘 = ℎ(𝑥 𝑘−1 ) + 𝑣 𝑘−1 (26) with…”

“…Recently, micro/nano-scale beams play significant roles in micro/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) such as nanocomposites [26], micro-actuators [27], microresonators [28], and so on [29,30]. Nonlinear vibration is one of the most important problems in micro/nano-scale beams.…”

A Bayesian Surrogate Constitutive Model to Estimate Failure Probability of Rubber-Like Materials

“…Farhangi et al investigated effect of fiber reinforced polymer tubes filled with recycled materials [16,17]. Izadi et al investigated effect of nanoparticles on mechanical properties of polymers [18,19,20]. Nunes and Moreira [21], in 2013, published a work that analyzes the simple shear state of an incompressible hyperelastic solid under large deformation by experimental and theoretical approaches.…”