ABSTRACT
Highly flexible, deformable, and ultralightweight structures are required for advanced sensing applications, such as wearable electronics and soft robotics. This study demonstrates the three-dimensional (3D) printing of highly flexible, ultralightweight, and conductive polymer nanocomposites (CPNCs) with dual-scale porosity and piezoresistive sensing functions. Macroscale pores are established by designing structural printing patterns with adjustable infill densities, while the microscale pores are developed by phase separation of the deposited polymer ink solution. A conductive polydimethylsiloxane solution is prepared by mixing polymer/carbon nanotubes with non-solvent and solvent phases. Silica nanoparticles are utilized to modify the rheological properties of the ink, making direct ink writing (DIW) feasible. 3D geometries with various structural infill densities and polymer concentrations are deposited using DIW. The solvent is evaporated during a stepping heat treatment, leading to non-solvent droplet nucleation and growth. The microscale cellular network is developed by removing the droplets and curing the polymer. Up to 83% tunable porosity is achieved by independently controlling the macro- and microscale porosity. The effect of macroscale/microscale porosity and printing nozzle sizes on the mechanical and piezoresistive behavior of the CPNC structures is explored. The electrical and mechanical tests demonstrate a durable, extremely deformable, and sensitive piezoresistive response without sacrificing mechanical performance. The flexibility and sensitivity of the CPNC structure are enhanced up to 900 and 67% with the development of dual-scale porosity. The application of the developed porous CPNCs as piezoresistive sensors for detecting human motion is also evaluated.
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the synthesis, characterization, and multiscale modeling of hybrid composites with enhanced interfacial properties consisting of aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires and continuous carbon fibers. The atomic layer deposition method was employed to uniformly synthesize nanoscale ZnO seeds on carbon fibers. Vertically aligned ZnO nanowires were grown from the deposited nanoscale seeds using the low-temperature hydrothermal method. Morphology and chemical compositions of ZnO nanowires were characterized to evaluate the quality of synthesized ZnO nanowires in hybrid fiber-reinforced composites. Single fiber fragmentation tests reveal that the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) in epoxy composites improved by 286%. Additionally, a multiscale modeling framework was developed to investigate the IFSS of hybrid composites with radially aligned ZnO nanowires. The cohesive zone model (CZM) was implemented to model the interface between fiber and matrix. The damage behavior of fiber was simulated using the ABAQUS user subroutine to define a material's mechanical behavior (UMAT). Both experimental and analytical results indicate that the hierarchical carbon fibers enhanced by aligned ZnO nanowires are effective in improving the key mechanical properties of hybrid fiber-reinforced composites.
ABSTRACT
The interfacial properties of ZnO nanowire (NW)/carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites are investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. An atomistic representative volume element (RVE) is developed in which a single ZnO NW is aligned on carbon fiber and embedded in the cross-linked epoxy. Effects of ZnO NWs on the fiber-matrix adhesion are studied by evaluating the fiber and the enhanced matrix interaction. The traction-separation behavior in both sliding mode (shear separation) and opening mode (normal separation) is evaluated. The cohesive parameters, including the peak traction and adhesion energy, are calculated in each mode. Different numbers of cross-linked epoxy units in the system are studied and validated. The interfacial properties of the hybrid system are compared with the simulated bare RVE containing fiber and epoxy. MD results showed that the interfacial strength is increased from 485 MPa to 1066 MPa with the ZnO NWs. The adhesion energy in both opening and sliding modes is significantly improved by growing ZnO NWs on the carbon fibers. In addition, the hybrid system shows more rate-independent behavior compared with the bare system in the opening mode.
ABSTRACT
A three-dimensional multiscale modeling framework is developed to analyze the failure procedure of radially aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) enhanced single fiber composites (SFC) under tensile loading to understand the interfacial improvement between the fiber and the matrix. The model introduces four levels in the computational domain. The nanoscale analysis calculates the size-dependent material properties of ZnO nanowires. The interaction between ZnO nanowires and the matrix is simulated using a properly designed representative volume element at the microscale. At the mesoscale, the interface between the carbon fiber and the surrounding area is modeled using the cohesive zone approach. A combination of ABAQUS Finite element software and the failure criteria modeled in UMAT user subroutine is implemented to simulate the single fiber fragmentation test (SFFT) at the macroscale. The numerical results indicate that the interfacial shear strength of SFC can be improved up to 99% after growing ZnO nanowires on the fiber. The effect of ZnO nanowires geometries on the interfacial shear strength of the enhanced SFC is also investigated. Experimental ZnO nanowires enhanced SFFTs are performed on the fabricated samples to validate the results of the developed multiscale model. A good agreement between the numerical and the experimental results was observed.
