Interfacial load transfer mechanisms in carbon nanotube-polymer nanocomposites

S Bagchi and A Harpale and HB Chew, PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES, 474, 20170705 (2018).

DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2017.0705

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are highly promising for strength reinforcement in polymer nanocomposites, but conflicting interfacial properties have been reported by single nanotube pull-out experiments. Here, we report the interfacial load transfer mechanisms during pull-out of CNTs from PMMA matrices, using massively- parallel molecular dynamics simulations. We show that the pullout forces associated with non-bonded interactions between CNT and PMMA are generally small, and are weakly-dependent on the embedment length of the nanotube. These pull-out forces do not significantly increase with the presence of Stone Wales or vacancy defects along the nanotube. In contrast, low-density distribution of cross-links along the CNT-PMMA interface increases the pull-out forces by an order of magnitude. At each cross-linked site, mechanical unfolding and pull-out of single or pair polymer chain(s) attached to the individual cross-link bonds result in substantial interfacial strengthening and toughening, while contributing to interfacial slip between CNT and PIVIMA. Our interfacial shear-slip model shows that the interfacial loads are evenly distributed among the finite number of cross-link bonds at low cross-link densities or for nanotubes with short embedment lengths. At higher cross-link densities or for nanotubes with longer embedment lengths, a no-slip zone now develops where shear lag effects become important. Implications of these results, in the context of recent nanotube pull-out experiments, are discussed.

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