Modeling of mesoscale dispersion effect on the piezoresistivity of carbon nanotube-polymer nanocomposites via 3D computational multiscale micromechanics methods

作者：Ren Xiang^*; Chaurasia Adarsh K; Oliva Aviles Andres I; Ku Herrera Jose J; Seidel Gary D; Aviles Francis

来源：Smart Materials and Structures, 2015, 24(6): 065031.

DOI：10.1088/0964-1726/24/6/065031

• piezoresistivity
• CNT/polymer nanocomposites
• multiscale
• gauge factor

In uniaxial tension and compression experiments, carbon nanotube (CNT)-polymer nanocomposites have demonstrated exceptional mechanical and coupled electrostatic properties in the form of piezoresistivity. In order to better understand the correlation of the piezoresistive response with the CNT dispersion at the mesoscale, a 3D computational multiscale micromechanics model based on finite element analysis is constructed to predict the effective macroscale piezoresistive response of CNT/polymer nanocomposites. The key factors that may contribute to the overall piezoresistive response, i.e. the nanoscale electrical tunneling effect, the inherent CNT piezoresistivity and the CNT mesoscale network effect are incorporated in the model based on a 3D multiscale mechanical-electrostatic coupled code. The results not only explain how different nanoscale mechanisms influence the overall macroscale piezoresistive response through the mesoscale CNT network, but also give reason and provide bounds for the wide range of gauge factors found in the literature offering insight regarding how control of the mesoscale CNT networks can be used to tailor nanocomposite piezoresistive response.

• 出版日期2015-6
• 单位美国弗吉尼亚理工大学(Virginia Tech)