A numerical study of carbon doping effect on paraffin-reinforced silica aerogel mechanical properties: A molecular dynamics approach

Abstract

Aerogels are different types of porous and solid materials that exhibit a strange set of extraordinary material properties. Aerogels have great potential for use in the fields of heat, sound, electronics, and especially thermal insulation. This paper investigates the influence of carbon doping concentration on the mechanical properties of paraffin-reinforced silica aerogel (PRSA). To do this investigation, Young’s module (YM), stress–strain curve, and ultimate strength (US) values at various carbon-doped particles of 1 to 10 % were reported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The results show that the PRSA, under the influence of carbon doping, has dual performance. To be more precise, by adding the amount of carbon doped from 1 to 3 %, the US and YM of the PRSA rose from 329.96 and 1137.20 MPa to 353.73 and 1268.44 MPa. In other words, the mechanical strength of the PRSA increases in a limited ratio. However, by increasing carbon doping from 3 to 10 %, the US and YM of the PRSA reduced to 306.233 and 1041.88 MPa, respectively. So, it is expected that the mechanical behavior of the PRSA matrix to be manipulated with carbon doping for actual applications.