Significances of effective interphase characteristics on the Pukanszky interfacial factor and strength of halloysite-containing composites after mechanical percolation onset

Abstract

The effects of “Lc” (obligatory length of filler causing suitable stress transfer) on the depth of the operative interphase, operative filler concentration, and mechanical percolation start are studied. These parameters are used to propose an equation to determine the strength of halloysite nanotube (HNT) composites with an imperfect interphase and an HNT network. Moreover, the Pukanszky factor (B) is linked to “Lc,” HNT size, and percolation start. The outputs of the proposed model are compared against the existing measured values. The effects of all factors on the strength of nanocomposites are justified, and the dependencies of “B” on the factors are analyzed. Lc = 400 nm increases the system strength by a maximum of 215%, but Lc = 1400 nm increases the sample strength by only 20%. Therefore, “Lc” adversely affects nanocomposite strength. B = 40 is obtained when Lc = 400 nm, while B = 7 is obtained when Lc = 1400 nm. Moreover, the percolation start point of 0.008 maximizes “B” to 37, whereas B = 17 is obtained when the percolation start point is 0.02. The least “Lc,” lowest percolation start point, slimmest and longest HNTs, and highest interfacial shear strength yielded the highest “B” values and the toughest samples.