FRACTAL MODELS OF THE REINFORCEMENT OF POLYMER PARTICULATE-FILLED NANOSTRUCTURED COMPOSITES BY NANOPARTICLE AGGREGATES

摘要

The applicability of the model of irreversible aggregation for theoretical description of the process of nanofiller particle aggregation in polymer nanocomposites is shown. The main factors that influence the indicated process have been revealed. It is shown that strongly expressed aggregation of the particles of a dispersed nanofiller results in a sharp (about 4 times) decrease in the real elasticity modulus of formed fractal aggregates. Aggregation of nanofiller particles is realized by the cluster-cluster mechanism and leads to a substantial decrease in the density of the formed fractal aggregates, which is the reason for the decrease in their elasticity modulus. As distinct from microcomposites, nanocomposites require the account for the interphase effects for correct description of the elasticity modulus by virtue of the well-known large fraction of phase interfaces in them.