Ahmadi, M. and Saxena, P. (2024) Analytical modelling of the electrical conductivity of CNT-filled polymer nanocomposites. Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids, (doi: 10.1177/10812865231225483) (Early Online Publication)
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Abstract
Electrical conductivity of most polymeric insulators can be drastically enhanced by introducing a small volume fraction (~1%) of conductive nanofillers. These nanocomposites find wide-ranging engineering applications from cellular metamaterials to strain sensors. In this work, we present a mathematical model to predict the effective electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/polymer nanocomposites accounting for the conductivity, dimensions, volume fraction, and alignment of the CNTs. Eshelby’s classical equivalent inclusion method (EIM) is generalized to account for electron-hopping—a key mechanism of electron transport across CNTs, and is validated with experimental data. Two measurements, namely, the limit angle of filler orientation and the probability distribution function, are used to control the alignment of CNTs within the composites. Our simulations show that decreasing the angle from a uniformly random distribution to a fully aligned state significantly reduces the transverse electrical conductivity, while the longitudinal conductivity shows less sensitivity to angle variation. Moreover, it is observed that distributing CNTs with non-uniform probability distribution functions results in an increase in longitudinal conductivity and a decrease in transverse conductivity, with these differences becoming more pronounced as the volume fraction of CNTs is increased. A reduction in CNT length decreases the effective electrical conductivity due to the reduced number of available conductive pathways while reducing CNT diameter increases the conductivity.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | The authors acknowledge the support of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through the project number EP/V030833/1. |
| Status: | Early Online Publication |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Saxena, Dr Prashant and Ahmadi, Masoud |
| Authors: | Ahmadi, M., and Saxena, P. |
| College/School: | College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering |
| Journal Name: | Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids |
| Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
| ISSN: | 1081-2865 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1741-3028 |
| Published Online: | 08 February 2024 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024 |
| First Published: | First published in Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids 2024 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence |
| Data DOI: | 10.5281/zenodo.8114527 |
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