A physics investigation for influence of carbon nanotube agglomeration on thermal properties of composites

Publication date: Available online 23 June 2019Source: Materials Chemistry and PhysicsAuthor(s): Jing Pan, Lichun BianAbstractIn the present study, a micromechanics model is developed to investigate the thermal properties of nanocomposites with agglomerated fibers. This paper mainly analyzes the influence of carbon nanotube (CNT) agglomeration on the thermal expansion coefficients and thermal conductivity of epoxy nanocomposites based on the micromechanical theory proposed. The agglomeration of CNTs in epoxy matrix is divided into two parts: the regions with high concentrations of CNTs; the regions with low concentrations of CNTs. The analytical expressions are derived according to the micromechanics method, and the two aggregation parameters are introduced to analyze the effect of CNTs agglomerated. The influences of high and low CNT agglomerations on the thermal expansion coefficients and thermal conductivity of composites are investigated, respectively. It is shown that the non-uniform dispersion of CNTs in matrix has a significant influence on the thermal expansion coefficients and thermal conductivity of nanocomposites.
Source: Materials Chemistry and Physics - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research