The effect of the aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes on their effective reinforcement modulus in an epoxy matrix

A. Martone (1) , G. Faiella (1) , V. Antonucci (1) , M. Giordano (1) , M. Zarrelli (1)

1 IMBC-CNR - Institute for Composite and Biomedical Materials

The potentiality of carbon nanotubes as reinforcement material is not only due to their exceptional high modulus, but also to their high aspect ratio. Indeed, the nanotubes contribution to the mechanical reinforcement in a polymer is strongly dependent on their distribution within the hosting matrix. In fact, the clustering of carbon nanotubes does limit the theoretical enhancement of the composite mechanical properties by a reduction of their effective aspect ratio.

Mots clés: A. carbon nanotubes; Nanocomposites; Mechanical properties

Domaines: Matériaux

A. Martone, G. Faiella, V. Antonucci, M. Giordano, M. Zarrelli. The effect of the aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes on their effective reinforcement modulus in an epoxy matrix. Composites Science and Technology, 2011, ⟨10.1016/j.compscitech.2011.04.002⟩. ⟨hal-00753184⟩