Modulus Of Nanocomposites Research Articles

Elastoplastic modeling of polymeric composites containing randomly located nanoparticles with an interface effect

An elastoplastic constitutive model is proposed to predict the overall behavior of nanoparticle-reinforced polymeric composites. The effective elastic moduli of nanocomposites, composed of a polymer matrix and randomly dispersed nanoparticles, are constructed by incorporating the Eshelby tensor considering the interface effect into a micromechanics-based ensemble volume-averaged method. Micromechanical homogenization procedures are utilized to estimate an effective yield function in accordance with the continuum plasticity theory and are employed to predict the overall elastoplastic behavior. The effects of the particle size, interface moduli and the strengthening influence of the nanoparticles are investigated via numerical simulations. Finally, comparisons between theoretical predictions and the available experimental data are made to assess the predictive capability of the proposed framework.

Transparent Epoxy Acrylate Resin Nanocomposites Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals

A series of nanocomposites based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and epoxy acrylate resin (EA) were prepared using solution casting followed by UV curing. The microstructure of the CNCs and nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal behavior and dynamic mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were determined using dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The transparency of the nanocomposite films was examined by UV–vis transmission spectroscopy. TGA results showed that the thermal stability of EA was affected slightly after incorporation of CNCs. The results from DMA showed that the storage modulus of nanocomposites improved over the entire temperature range compared to pure EA derived from the reinforcing effect of the CNCs. The glass transition temperature of nanocomposites was increased with the increase of CNC loading levels. The ultraviolet–visible spectra of the films showed no obvious absorb...

Modeling of tensile modulus of polyolefin-layered silicate nanocomposites: modified micro-mechanical and statistical methods

Abstract Applicability and subsequent modification of various composite models for the prediction of the relative tensile modulus of polyolefin nanocomposites has been studied. A number of models, such as the modified Halpin-Tsai, Guth, Mori-Tanaka, Hui and Shia and Takayanagi models, as well as factorial and mixture designs, were considered. Various assumptions in the models, such as uniform shape and size of filler (i.e., complete exfoliation), alignment, as well as interfacial bonding between the components, restrict their application for the prediction of the nanocomposite modulus. The modified Guth model and Halpin-Tsai model, with the ∅m concept, were developed further to incorporate the modulus reduction factors for polyolefin nanocomposites. This allowed the generation of master curves of the modulus reduction factor as a function of the aspect ratio of the filler in the composite. It was observed that the Mori Tanaka model, modified by constructing models of various representative volume elements (RVEs) of the underlying structure of the nanoclay filled polymers, matched the experimental values of the tensile modulus of polyolefin nanocomposites. The modified Hui and Shia model, incorporating the non-bonding interfacial effects, as well as the three component modified Takayanagi model, were also able to predict the tensile modulus of polyolefin nanocomposites efficiently. Factorial and mixture designs did not require the conventionally used assumptions and satisfactorily reflected the material behavior, and were specific to the particular components used to generate nanocomposites. These models were also helpful in predicting the aspect ratio of the filler in the composites, when synergistically combined with other modified models.

Statistical analysis of mechanical properties of pressureless sintered multiwalled carbon nanotube/alumina nanocomposites

Mechanical properties of pressureless sintered 0.15–1.2 vol.% multiwalled carbon nanotube reinforced alumina matrix nanocomposites have been analyzed using the 2-parameter Weibull statistics. Electron microscopy and phase analysis of nanocomposites sintered at 1700 °C for 2 h in Argon revealed existence of interpenetrating network of nanotubes in alumina, formation of thin interface resembling stoichiometric aluminum monoxycarbide and matrix grain refinement by nanotubes. Statistical analyses indicated that with increasing Vickers hardness testing load (4.9–19.6 N) and flexural strength measurement temperature (room temperature to 1100 °C), Weibull modulus of nanocomposites increased significantly suggesting improved consistency at higher load and temperature. The highest Weibull moduli were obtained for nanocomposites containing either 0.15 or 0.3 vol.% nanotube which were ∼40% and ∼15% higher than single phase alumina for hardness and strength, respectively, supporting the specimen size effect on reliability of present brittle ceramic matrix nanocomposites. Superior mechanical reliability of nanocomposites over pure alumina was primarily attributed to the presence of structurally intact nanotubes forming effective interface region to ensure proper load sharing, matrix grain refinement, and especially, at higher testing load and temperature, overall averaging effect of flaws to yield higher Weibull moduli.

Thermal and mechanical properties of homogeneous ternary nanocomposites of regioregular poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐wrapped multiwalled carbon nanotube dispersed in thermoplastic polyurethane: Dynamic‐ and thermomechanical analysis

AbstractAn interesting correlation between initial loading and nature of wrapping of regioregular poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (rrP3HT) on multiwalled carbon nanotube and their combined effect on dynamic‐ and thermomechanical properties in ternary system (thermoplastic polyurethane as matrix) is highlighted. Wrapping of rrP3HT on carbon nanotube (CNT) makes the hexyl side chains thermally nonequivalent and composites more stable. Dynamic‐ and thermomechanical analysis ascertained the miscibility (single Tg = −40°C), large mechanical reinforcement, and improved storage modulus of nanocomposites in the presence of CNT compared to its blends. Two breaks at ∼ −100 and ∼ −40°C for TPU‐P3HT composites (PHs) and TPU‐P3HT‐MWCNT composites (PHCs) in the loss modulus vs. temperature plot indicates two different types of transitions in P3HT chains. Dimensional stability by expansion probe technique measures low coefficient of thermal expansion of PHCs compared to its blends. Softening property by penetration probe technique suggests that 2.5 wt % loading of P3HT exhibits lowest degree of penetration compared to other nanocomposites. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Preparation of poly(butylene terephthalate)/modified organoclay nanocomposite via in-situ polymerization

Nanocomposites of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT)/modified montmorillonite organoclay were prepared via in-situ polymerization of terephthalic acid and butanediol in the presence of different clay content. Cloisite 30B, a commercially available amino modified montmorillonite, was modified with 3-aminopropytriethoxysilane (APS) through a silylation reaction. Morphology and properties of all samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The extent of clay layers in samples was confirmed by XRD. Results of XRD and TEM showed that an exfoliation structure was produced in nanocomposites. Studies of crystallization showed that the presence of nanoclay leads to an increase in the crystallization rate and enhances the thermal stability of nanocomposites. Crystallization kinetics were described by the Avrami equation. Crystal growth was spherulitic. According to dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), storage modulus of nanocomposites was remarkably improved compared with homo PBT. Moreover, a shrinkage test was carried out. Results showed a reduction in shrinkages along and across the flow direction that means a decrease in free volume. Flammability based on the UL-94 test was applied to study the flame retardancy effect of nanoclay on the samples.

Mechanical behavior of solid and foamed polyester/expanded graphite nanocomposites

Poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate)- PEN is a thermoplastic polyester characterized by a high glass transition temperature (125°C), comparable to that of polyetheretherketone (143°C), but with a significantly lower melting temperature (265°C). Its physical and chemical properties are very promising for applications in transport industry and aeronautics. Nanocomposite matrices based on PEN and expanded graphite were developed to be used as matrix for foams. Expanded graphite was melt blended with the polymer by means of extrusion process and its effects on the foaming properties were investigated through solid state foaming process. Graphite nanoparticles increased the crystallization kinetics of the polymer, inducing the formation of small crystals but lowering the total amount of crystalline phase. Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed a good dispersion of the nanofiller but some aggregates were still present, as also confirmed by graphite peak in the X-ray diffraction patterns of all nanocomposites. The elastic modulus of nanocomposites with amorphous matrix increased with respect to the neat amorphous PEN, while the modulus of crystallized nanocomposites decreased. Nanocomposite foams were successfully prepared, and an higher cell density was obtained when compared to the neat PEN. In the latter case, a strong increase in both yield and strain at break was measured. Furthermore, the elastic modulus and compressive yield stress of foamed PEN nanocomposites increased with the expanded graphite.

Predictive model for carbon nanotube–reinforced nanocomposite modulus driven by micromechanical modeling and physical experiments

This article proposes an improved surrogate model for the prediction of the elastic modulus of carbon nanotube–reinforced-nanocomposites. By statistically combining micromechanical modeling results with limited amounts of experimental data, a better predictive surrogate model is constructed using a two-stage sequential modeling approach. A set of data for multi-walled carbon nanotube–bismaleimide nanocomposites is used in a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed surrogate modeling procedure. In the case study, the theoretical composite modulus is computed with micromechanical models, and the experimental modulus is measured through tensile tests. Both theoretical and experimental composite moduli are integrated by using a statistical adjustment method to construct the surrogate model. The results demonstrate an improved predictive ability compared to the original micromechanical model.

Nanoindentation and dynamic mechanical properties of PP/clay nanocomposites

Polypropylene/clay nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending technique. A PP homopolymer was melt blended with commercial nanoclay masterbatch at different concentration (5, 10 and 15 wt% of nanoclay) using Laboratory Mixing Extruder (LME). The morphology of the nanocomposites was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The viscoelastic and thermo-mechanical properties were analyzed via Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). The morphological analysis showed that the nanoclay was well distributed in the PP matrix. The DMA analysis showed an increase in storage modulus of nanocomposites which indicates an enhancement of stiffness and thermal stability of the prepared nanocomposite samples. In addition, a nanoindentation test was performed to determine the dynamic nanomechanical properties of two nanocomposites samples (NS-5 and NS-15). Load sweep test results showed that NS-15 has a slightly higher storage and loss modulus than that of NS-5. Both the samples also showed a decreasing modulus as a function of depth, indicating the presence of a stiffer surface layer in the samples. Frequency sweep tests were also performed on each sample, and display a moderate viscoelasticity with modulus values that increased slightly as a function of frequency. Load-controlled ramping force scratch test was also carried out and the results showed that NS-15 had a greater elastic recovery than sample NS-5 as well as a greater overall scratch resistance.

Effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of nano-filler reinforced epoxy nanocomposites

This study aimed to investigate the effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of nano-filler reinforced epoxy nanocomposites as well as to study the influence of different types of nano-fillers such as nano-clay platelets, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and nano-silicon carbide (n-SiC) particles on the water absorption behaviour of epoxy based nanocomposites. Results indicated that the addition of nano-fillers into epoxy matrix was found to decrease both water uptake and diffusivity compared to unfilled epoxy. Flexural strength and modulus of epoxy based nanocomposites were found to decrease due to the water absorption. However, the addition of nano-fillers enhanced the flexural strength and modulus of nanocomposites compared to wet unfilled epoxy. Surprising, fracture toughness and impact strength of all types of nanocomposites were found to increase after exposing to water. The presence of nano-fillers increased both fracture toughness and impact strength of nanocomposites compared to wet neat epoxy.

Relationship Between Cell Compatibility and Elastic Modulus of Silicone Rubber/Organoclay Nanobiocomposites

Substrates in medical science are hydrophilic polymers undergoing volume expansion when exposed to culture medium that influenced on cell attachment. Although crosslinking by chemical agents could reduce water uptake and promote mechanical properties, these networks would release crosslinking agents. In order to overcome this weakness, silicone rubber is used and reinforced by nanoclay. Attempts have been made to prepare nanocomposites based on medical grade HTV silicone rubber (SR) and organo-modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nanoclay with varying amounts of clay compositions. Incorporation of nanocilica platelets into SR matrix was carried out via melt mixing process taking advantage of a Brabender internal mixer. The tensile elastic modulus of nanocomposites was measured by performing tensile tests on the samples. Produced polydimetylsiloxane (PDMS) composites with different flexibilities and crosslink densities were employed as substrates to investigate biocompatibility, cell compaction, and differential behaviors. The results presented here revealed successful nanocomposite formation with SR and OMMT, resulting in strong PDMS-based materials. The results showed that viability, proliferation, and spreading of cells are governed by elastic modulus and stiffness of samples. Furthermore, adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) cultured on PDMS and corresponding nanocomposites could retain differentiation potential of osteocytes in response to soluble factors, indicating that inclusion of OMMT would not prevent osteogenic differentiation. Moreover, better spread out and proliferation of cells was observed in nanocomposite samples. Considering cell behavior and mechanical properties of nanobiocomposites it could be concluded that silicone rubber substrate filled by nanoclay are a good choice for further experiments in tissue engineering and medical regeneration due to its cell compatibility and differentiation capacity.

Effect of carbon nanotube orientation on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been regarded as ideal reinforcements of high-performance composites with enormous applications. In this paper, nano-structure is modeled as a linearly elastic composite medium, which consists of a homogeneous matrix having hexagonal representative volume elements (RVEs) and homogeneous cylindrical nanotubes with various inclination angles. Effects of inclined carbon nanotubes on mechanical properties are investigated for nano-composites using 3-D hexagonal representative volume element (RVE) with short and straight CNTs. The CNT is modeled as a continuum hollow cylindrical shape elastic material with different angles. The effect of the inclination of the CNT and its parameters is studied. Numerical equations are used to extract the effective material properties for the hexagonal RVE under axial as well as lateral loading conditions. The computational results indicated that elastic modulus of nano-composite is remarkably dependent on the orientation of the dispersed SWNTs. It is observed that the inclination significantly reduces the effective Young’s modulus of elasticity under an axial stretch. When compared with lateral loading case, effective reinforcement is found better in axial loading case. The effective moduli are very sensitive to the inclination and this sensitivity decreases with the increase of the waviness. In the case of short CNTs, increasing trend is observed up to a specific value of waviness index. It is also found from the simulation results that geometry of RVE does not have much significance on stiffness of nano-structures. The results obtained for straight CNTs are consistent with ERM results for hexagonal RVEs, which validate the proposed model results.

Effects of three surfactant types of anionic, cationic and non-ionic on tensile properties and fracture surface morphology of epoxy/MWCNT nanocomposites

Three types of surfactants were used to enhance the dispersion of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in the epoxy matrix. MWCNTs were separately treated with non-ionic (polyoxyethylene octyl phenyl ether, Triton X-100), cationic (hexadecyl-trimethyl-ammonium bromide, CTAB) and anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) surfactants and their effects were evaluated on the dispersion state and surface chemistry, as well as on the tensile properties and tensile fracture surface morphology of MWCNTs/epoxy nanocomposites. The active surfaces of the carbon nanotubes were characterized by FTIR. The non-ionic surfactant, Triton X-100, had the best effect on dispersion of the MWCNT in the epoxy matrix, thus, positively affecting the tensile parameters of the corresponding nanocomposites which were attributed to the “bridging” effects between the MWCNT and epoxy, introduced by the hydrophobic and hydrophilic heads of the corresponding surfactant. Presence of MWCNTs as reinforcing agent increased the elastic modulus of nanocomposites, indicating the improved interfacial adhesion between CNTs and polymer matrix. The regions of nucleation and propagation of cracks were clearly seen in the SEM micrographs of the tensile fracture surface of the nanocomposites. The cracks deviated on reaching the carbon nanotubes. The dispersing aiding capabilities of the three surfactants used in the present study were as follows: cationic < anionic < non-ionic.

Study on elastic modulus of crosslinked polyurethane/organoclay nanocomposites

AbstractIn this paper, two polyurethane/clay nanocomposite systems with crosslinked structure were synthesized via in situ polymerization of a polyether‐ as well as a polyester‐based prepolymer with methylene‐bis‐ortho‐chloroanilline (MOCA). Two types of modified clays with different organic modifiers were used in order to see the effect of compatibility between polymer matrix and clays on elastic modulus of nanocomposites. The morphology and the dispersion of clay layers in polyurethanes have been characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and microscopic techniques. The changes of elastic modulus of nanocomposites with clay content were examined and compared with those predicted by some conventional composite models. The results showed a reasonable fitting of experimental and theoretical values only at very low clay contents. As the clay content exceeds 1.5 wt% in this system, a reduction in elastic modulus was experimentally observed due to insufficient dispersion degree of silicate layers throughout the crosslinked matrix. This behavior was not predicted with the conventional composite theories. A new model on the basis of Wu model was then developed in order to predict the reduction of elastic modulus at various clay contents in crosslinked PU matrix. This model fitted reasonably the experimental results. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Role of silane crosslinking on the properties of melt blended metallocene polyethylene‐g‐silane/clay nanocomposites at various clay contents

AbstractA study to investigate matrix properties and their interaction with loaded nanoclay was designed under controlled clay dispersion. Metallocene polyethylene grafted vinyltriethoxy silane (mPE‐g‐silane) was served as the matrix, with or without silane crosslinking (grafting and post crosslinking with catalyst versus only grafting without catalyst), to assess the strength of commercial organoclay (20A)‐filled nanocomposites prepared via a melt mixing. According to X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses, all nanocomposites achieved similar dispersion degrees at specific clay contents mainly due to the silane interaction with the dispersed clay via hydrogen bonding and/or chemical bonding. Chemical bonding of grafted silane with clay was inferred based on the slightly higher crosslinking degree with increasing clay content for crosslinked cases. For uncrosslinked cases, the crosslinking degree was virtually zero regardless of clay content. The dynamic mechanical properties revealed enhanced interaction between mPE‐g‐silane and clay with increasing clay content based on the increased glass transition temperatures. Young's modulus of nanocomposites with crosslinked cases showed higher values in comparison with uncrosslinked cases at a specific clay content, indicating the significance of matrix crosslinking effect and the effective interfacial interaction between silane and clay especially at higher clay content. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first study which generally maintains similar clay dispersions through the effect of uncrosslinking (only grafting) and crosslinking (grafting and post crosslinking), and then probes the effect of matrix properties and interfacial interactions at the large deformation state (tensile test) and small deformation state (cutting test). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Rheology, Crystallization Kinetics and Mechanical Properties of HDPE/Vinyl-POSS Nanocomposites

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is usually prepared from the hydrolytic condensation of organotrialkoxysilanes. The rheology, non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and mechanical properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/vinyl-containing POSS (V-POSS) nanocomposites were investigated. The results show that the molten HDPE/V-POSS belong to pseudoplastic fluid. The V-POSS can accelerate the nucleation of HDPE at starting stage of crystallization. However, it will decrease the crystallization ability of HDPE in the subsequent crystallization process. The modified Avrami analysis by Jeziorny can well explain the crystallization behaviour of HDPE/V-POSS. The yield strength and tensile modulus of nanocomposites both increase when V-POSS content is 6%.

Characterization and finite element modeling of montmorillonite/polypropylene nanocomposites

Finite element modeling can be a useful tool for predicting the behavior of composite materials and arriving at desirable filler contents for maximizing mechanical performance. In the present study, to corroborate finite element analysis results, quantitative information on the effect of reinforcing polypropylene (PP) with various proportions of nanoclay (in the range of 3–9% by weight) is obtained through experiments; in particular, attention is paid to the Young’s modulus, tensile strength and failure strain. Micromechanical finite element analysis combined with Monte Carlo simulation have been carried out to establish the validity of the modeling procedure and accuracy of prediction by comparing against experimentally determined stiffness moduli of nanocomposites. In the same context, predictions of Young’s modulus yielded by theoretical micromechanics-based models are compared with experimental results. Macromechanical modeling was done to capture the non-linear stress–strain behavior including failure observed in experiments as this is deemed to be a more viable tool for analyzing products made of nanocomposites including applications of dynamics.

The glass transition and thermoelastic behavior of epoxy-based nanocomposites: A molecular dynamics study

In this study, the glass transition and thermoelastic properties of cross-linked epoxy-based nanocomposites and their filler-size dependency are investigated through molecular dynamics simulations. In order to verify the size effect of nanoparticles, five different unit cells with different-sized silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles are considered under the same volume fraction. By considering a wide range of temperatures in isobaric ensemble simulations, the glass transition temperature is obtained from the specific volume–temperature relationship from the cooling-down simulation. In addition, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and the elastic stiffness of the nanocomposites at each temperature are predicted and compared with one another. As a result, the glass transition and thermoelastic properties of pure epoxy are found to be improved by embedding the SiC nanoparticles. Especially regarding the CTE and elastic moduli of nanocomposites, the particle-size dependency is clearly observed below and above the glass transition temperature.

Size-dependent effective electroelastic moduli of piezoelectric nanocomposites with interface effect

The problem of nanocomposite materials under far-field antiplane mechanical load and inplane electric load is investigated. Based on the theory of Gurtin–Murdoch surface/interface model, an exact solution is obtained for the inhomogeneity/matrix/equivalent medium model, in terms of which a generalized self-consistent approach is proposed for predicting the effective electroelastic moduli of nanocomposites. A closed-form solution of the effective electroelastic moduli is presented. The numerical results reveal that the effective electroelastic moduli are size dependent when the size of the inhomogeneity is on the order of nanometer. With the increase in the size of the inhomogeneity, the present solution approaches to the classical results obtained in the classical theory.

Preparation and Properties of Polydicyclopentadiene/MMt Nanocomposites Using Supported Tungsten Catalyst

Polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD) is a kind of engineering plastic which possesses excellent mechanical performance. It can be prepared by dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) through Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). In this article, a supported catalyst of WCl6-phenol on montmorillonite (MMt) was prepared. It is highly efficient, low-cost and more stable in air. PDCPD/MMt Nanocomposites were prepared by this catalyst with Et2AlCl through ROMP. The polymerization was executed in Gusmer-Decker's RIMcell Lt Machine. The d spacings of the clay in nanocomposites were monitored using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the extent of delamination was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The XRD curves showed the expansion of clay layers due to the intercalation of WCl6-phenol catalyst into the space of MMt. The TEM micrograph showed that highly delaminated nanocomposites were achieved, even at the highest (4.0 wt% MMt) clay loading. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) testing showed that thermal stabilities of nanocomposites were increased with the increase of MMt loading. The enhanced degree in the storage modulus of nanocomposites increased with the increase of MMt loading.