Reinforcing mechanisms of single-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composites.

The reinforcing mechanisms of single-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy composites were studied by micromechanics models. The modeling results obtained from both Halpin-Tsai and Mori-Tanaka models are in good agreement with the experimental results. It has been found that these two models are also applicable to other single-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced, amorphous-polymer composites, given the existence of efficient load transfer. The reinforcing mechanisms that work in polymer-carbon nanotube composites were studied. The reasons responsible for the low mechanical property enhancement of single-walled carbon nanotube in polymer composites were discussed in conjunction with the effective fiber length concept, interface between nanotube bundles and the matrix, properties of the reinforcements and matrix, bundle effects, bundle curvature, and alignment.