Modeling of tensile modulus in polymer/carbon nanotubes (CNT) nanocomposites

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) show significant mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Therefore, CNT is a good candidate for enhancement of polymer properties. Many researchers have tried to study the various characteristics of polymer/CNT nanocomposites (PCNTs) from experimental and theoretical points of view. This paper aims to predict the tensile modulus of PCNTs by a simple methodology. The experimentally measured modulus of many PCNTs from valid literature is correlated with various powers of CNT volume fractions (phi, phi(1/2) and phi(2/3)) and the best equation is chosen from analysis of calculations. It is found that the experimental moduli are well connected to phi(2/3) by maximum 10% disagreement between experimental and theoretical results. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.