Simulation and experimental characterization of polymer/carbon nanotubes composites for strain sensor applications

In this paper, a numerical model is presented in order to analyze the electrical characteristics of polymer composites filled by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) subject to tensile stress and investigate the possible usage of such materials as innovative sensors for small values of strain. The simulated mechano-electrical response of the nanocomposite is obtained through a multi-step approach which, through different modeling stages, provides a simple and effective tool for material analysis and design. In particular, at first, the morphological structures of the composites are numerically simulated by adopting a previously presented model based on a Monte Carlo procedure in which uniform distributions of the CNTs, approximated as of solid cylinders and ensuring some physical constraints, are dispersed inside a cubic volume representing the polymer matrix. Second, a geometrical analysis allows to obtain the percolation paths detected in the simulated structures. Suitable electrical networks composed by resistors and capacitors associated to the complex charge transport and polarization mechanisms occurring in the percolation paths are then identified. Finally, the variations of these circuit parameters, which are differently affected by the mechanical stresses applied to the composites, are considered to analyze the electromechanical characteristics of the composites and hence their performances as stress sensors. The proposed approach is used to investigate the impact on the electro-mechanical response of some physical properties of the base materials, such as the type of carbon nanotube, the height of energy barrier of polymer resin, as well as characteristics of the composite, i. e., the volume fraction of the filler. The tunneling effect between neighboring nanotubes is found to play a dominant role in determining the composite sensitivity to mechanical stresses. The simulation results are also compared with the experimental data obtained by performing stress tests on samples of a multi walled CNT filled composite based on poly (epsilon-caprolactone), a polymer which is of interest for its biocompatibility. Model simulations and measured data show generally satisfactory agreement, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed approach to account for the impact of the interactions between CNTs and the insulating resin on the electromechanical response of the composite. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.