A modeling methodology to investigate the effect of interfacial adhesion on the yield strength of MMT reinforced nanocomposites

This article focuses on the effects of incomplete interfacial adhesion on the yield strength and interface/interphase properties of montmorillonite (MMT)/polymer nanocomposites (MPN). The minimum length of platelets necessary for efficient stress transfer from matrix to MMT (L-C) and the interfacial shear strength (tau) change the effective inverse aspect ratio (alpha = thickness/length) and the effective volume fraction of MMT in nanocomposites. These effective parameters are applied to express the yield strength and interface/interphase properties in MPN. It was found that large platelets, small L-C and high tau increased the yield strength of MPN and the high levels of L-C and alpha caused poor interface/interphase properties. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry.