Multiscale Mechanical Behavior of Hierarchically-structured Polymer Composites

摘要

It is possible to enhance the properties of polymers and polymer composites using nanoscale ingredients, such as carbon nanofibers. The effects of this "nano-enhancement" can result in a hierarchical microstructure that uniquely affects the mechanical behavior from the nanoscale reinforcement of the polymer matrix to the macroscale behavior of the polymer composite. We have investigated the multiscale mechanical behavior of polymers enhanced with carbon nanofibers using nanoindentation techniques for nanoscale-to-microscale characterization, and small-scale tensile specimens for microscale-tomacroscale characterization.