Effect of carbon nanotube interphase on the overall elastic properties of their composites

Compared to the small diameter of a carbon nanotube (CNT), the thickness of the CNT-matrix interphase in a CNT-composite is considerable. Hence, it is expected that they have a significant influence on the macroscopic properties of their composite. Using a multi-scale method, this paper would explore the effect of interphase on the mechanical properties of nano-composites reinforced by non-bonded single- walled CNTs. The models involved both the van der Waals (vdW) gap interphase and the dense interphase matrix. Using a finite element media, the wavy CNTs are distributed randomly in a matrix to realize an accurate prediction of macroscopic properties with a nanoscopic resolution. The study shows that the effect of total interphase includes the vdW gap interphase and the dense interphase can be ignored in some circumstances.