A new finite element (FE) modeling method has been developed to investigate how the electrical-mechanical-thermal behavior of carbon nanotube (CNT)–reinforced polymer composites is affected by electron tunneling distances, volume fraction, and physically realistic tube aspect ratios. A representative CNT polymer composite conductive path was chosen from a percolation analysis to establish the three-dimensional (3D) computational finite-element (FE) approach. A specialized Maxwell FE formulation with a Fermi-based tunneling resistance was then used to obtain current density evolution for different CNT/polymer dispersions and tunneling distances. Analyses based on thermoelectrical and electrothermomechanical FE approaches were used to understand how CNT-epoxy composites behave under electrothermomechanical loading conditions.
Issue Section:
Research Papers
References
1.
Hu.
N.
, Masuda
, Z.
, Yan
, C.
, Yamamoto
, G.
, Fukunaga
, H.
, and Hashida
T.
, 2008
, “The Electrical Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites With Carbon Nanotube Fillers
,” Nanotechnology
, 19
, pp. 215701
–215710
.10.1088/0957-4484/19/21/2157012.
Nan
, C.-W.
, Shen
, Y.
, and Ma
, J.
, 2010
, “Physical Properties of Composites Near Percolation
,” Annu. Rev. Mater. Res.
, 40
, pp. 131
–151
.10.1146/annurev-matsci-070909-1045293.
Qian
, H.
, Greenhalgh
, E. S.
, Shaffer
, M. S. P.
, and Bismark
, A.
, 2010
, “Carbon Nanotube-Based Hierarchical Composites
,” J. Mater. Chem.
, 22
, pp. 4751
–4762
.10.1039/c000041h4.
Stauffer
, D.
, and Aharony
, A.
, 1994
, Introduction to Percolation Theory
, Taylor & Francis
, London
, p. 90
.5.
Mclachlan
, D. S.
, Chiteme
, C.
, Park
, C.
, and Wise
, K. E.
, 2005
, “AC and DC Percolative Conductivity of Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Polymer Composites
,” J. Polym. Sci. B
, 43
, pp. 3273
–3287
.10.1002/polb.205976.
Kovacs
, J. Z.
, Velagala
, B. S.
, Schulte
, K.
, and Bauhofer
, W.
, 2007
, “Two Percolation Thresholds in Carbon Nanotube Epoxy Composites
,” Compos. Sci. Technol.
, 67
, pp. 922
–928
.10.1016/j.compscitech.2006.02.0377.
Ambrosetti
, G.
, Grimaldi
, C.
, Balberg
, I.
, Maeder
, T.
, Danani
, A.
, and Ryser
, P.
, 2010
, “Solution of Tunneling-Percolation Problem in the Nanocomposite Regime
,” Phys. Rev. B
, 81
, pp. 155434
–155446
,10.1103/PhysRevB.81.1554348.
Balberg
, I.
, 2009
, “Tunneling and Percolation in Lattices and the Continuum
,” J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys.
, 42
, pp. 064003
–064018
.10.1088/0022-3727/42/6/0640039.
Yu
, Y.
, Song
, G.
, and Sun
L.
, 2010
, “Determinant Role of Tunneling Resistance in Electrical Conductivity of Polymer Composites Reinforced by Well Dispersed Carbon Nanotubes
,” J. Appl. Phys.
, 108
, pp. 084139
–084143
.10.1063/1.349962810.
Eken
, A. E.
, Tozzi
, E. J.
, Klingenberg
, D. J.
, and Bauhofer
, W.
, 2011
, “A Simulation Study on the Combined Effects of Nanotube Shape and Shear Flow on the Electrical Percolation Thresholds of Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Composites
,” J. Appl. Phys.
, 109
, pp. 084342
–084350
.10.1063/1.357366811.
Li
, C.
, Thostenson
, E. T.
, and Chou
, T.-W.
, 2008
, “Effect of Nanotube Waviness on the Electrical Conductivity of Carbon Nanotube-Based Composites
,” Compos. Sci. Technol.
, 68
, pp. 1445
–1452
.10.1016/j.compscitech.2007.10.05612.
Cebeci
, H.
, Villoria
, R. G.
, Hart
, A. J.
, and Wardle
, B. L.
, 2009
, “Multifunctional Properties of High Volume Fraction Aligned Carbon Nanotube Polymer Composites With Controlled Morphology
,” Compos. Sci. Technol.
, 69
, pp. 2649
–2656
.10.1016/j.compscitech.2009.08.00613.
Chang
, L.
, Friedrich
, K.
, and Ye
, L.
, 2009
, “Evaluation and Visualization of the Percolating Networks in Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotube/Epoxy Composites
,” J. Mater. Sci.
, 44
, pp. 4003
–4012
.10.1007/s10853-009-3551-314.
Dalmas
, F.
, Dendievel
, R.
, Chazeau
, L.
, Cavaille
, J.-Y.
, and Gauthier
, C.
, 2006
, “Carbon Nanotube-Filled Polymer Composites. Numerical Simulation of Electrical Conductivity in Three-Dimensional Entangled Fibrous Networks
,” Acta Mater.
, 54
, pp. 2923
–2931
.10.1016/j.actamat.2006.02.02815.
Tserpes
, K. I.
, Papanikos
, P.
, Labeas
, G.
, and Pantelakis
, S. G.
, 2008
, “Multi-scale Modeling of Tensile Behavior of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Composites
,” Theor. Appl. Fract. Mech.
, 49
, pp. 51
–60
.10.1016/j.tafmec.2007.10.00416.
Ashrafi
, B.
, and Hubert
, P.
, 2006
, “Modeling the Elastic Properties of Carbon Nanotube Array/Polymer Composites
,” Compos. Sci. Technol.
, 66
, pp. 387
–396
.10.1016/j.compscitech.2005.07.02017.
Prylutskyy
, Y. I.
, Durov
, S. S.
, Ogloblya
, O. V.
, Buzaneva
, E. V.
, and Scharff
, P.
, 2000
, “Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Mechanical, Vibrational and Electronic Properties of Carbon Nanotubes
,” Comput. Mater. Sci.
, 17
, pp. 352
–355
.10.1016/S0927-0256(00)00051-318.
Xu
, S.
, Rezvanian
, O.
, Peters
, K.
, and Zikry
, M. A.
, 2013, “The Viability and Limits of Percolation Theory in Modeling the Electrical Behavior of Carbon Nanotube Polymer Composites
,” Nanotechnology
, 24
, p. 155706
.10.1088/0957-4484/24/15/15570619.
Xu
, S.
, Rezvanian
, O.
, Peters
, K.
, and Zikry
, M. A.
, 2011
, “Tunneling Effects and Electrical Conductivity of CNT Polymer Composites
,” Materials Research Society Symposium Proceeding, Boston, 2010
, Vol. 1304
, Cambridge University Press
, Cambridge, England
20.
Gau
, C.
, Kuo
, C.-Y.
, and Ko
, H. S.
, 2009
, “Electron Tunneling in Carbon Nanotube Composites
,” Nanotechnology
, 20
, pp. 395705
–395710
.10.1088/0957-4484/20/39/39570521.
Li
, C.
, Thostenson
, E. T.
, and Chou
, T.-W.
, 2007
, “Dominant Role of Tunneling Resistance in the Electrical Conductivity of Carbon Nanotube-Based Composites
,” Appl. Phys. Lett.
, 91
, pp. 223114
–223116
.10.1063/1.281969022.
Hu
, N.
, Karube
, Y.
, Yan
, C.
, Masuda
, Z.
, and Fukunaga
H.
, 2008
, “Tunneling Effect in a Polymer/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposite Strain Sensor
,” Acta Mater.
56
, pp. 2929
–2936
.10.1016/j.actamat.2008.02.03023.
Berhan
, L.
, and Sastry
, A. M.
, 2007
, “Modeling Percolation in High-Aspect-Ratio Fiber Systems. II. The Effect of Waviness on the Percolation Onset
,” Phys. Rev. E
, 75
, pp. 041121
–041127
.10.1103/PhysRevE.75.04112124.
Simmons
, J. G.
, 1963
, “Generalized Formula for the Electric Tunnel Effect Between Similar Electrodes Separated by a Thin Insulating Film
,” J. Appl. Phys.
, 34
, pp. 1793
–1803
.10.1063/1.170268225.
Alamusi
, Hu
, N.
, Fukunaga
, H.
, Atobe
, S.
, Liu
, Y.
, and Li
, J.
, 2011
, “Piezoresistive Strain Sensors Made From Carbon Nanotubes Based Polymer Nanocomposites
,” Sensors
, 11
, pp. 10691
–10723
.10.3390/s11111069126.
Yu
, C.
, Kim
, Y. S.
, Kim
, D.
, and Grunlan
, J. C.
, 2008
, “Thermoelectric Behavior of Segregated-Network Polymer Nanocomposites
,” Nano Lett.
, 8
, pp. 4428
–4432
.10.1021/nl802345s27.
Ashcroft
, N. W.
, and Mermin
, N. D.
, 1976
, Solid State Physics
, Saunders
, Philadelphia
, pp. 256
–258
, 290–293.28.
Yin
, G.
, Hu
, N.
, Karube
, Y.
, Liu
, Y.
, and Li
, Y.
, 2012
, “A Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Strain Sensor With Linear and Anti-Symmetric Piezoresistivity
,” J. Compos. Mater.
, 45
, pp. 1315
–1323
.10.1021/nl900263dCopyright © 2013 by ASME
You do not currently have access to this content.
