Reinforcing effect of carbon nanotubes (CNT) on polymer nanocomposites – A numerical-analytical study

Abstract

A mixed model, numerical-analytical, is presented that allows one to predict the elastic properties of carbon nanotube (CNT)/polymer composites containing a random distribution of CNTs, while taking account of the curvature that they show when immersed in the polymer. This hybrid approach is a significant advance over micromechanical modeling and can be applied to all nanostructured composites.