Multiscale modeling of polymer–carbon nanotube composites

Abstract:

Carbon nanotube (CNT) composite materials have the potential to provide significant increases in specific stiffness and specific strength relative to materials used for many engineering structural applications. To facilitate the design and development of CNT composites, structure–property relationships must be established that predict the bulk thermo-mechanical response of these materials as a function of the molecular and micro-structure. The objective of this chapter is to describe a general framework for multiscale modeling of CNT composites. First, the fundamental aspects of efficient and accurate modeling techniques are discussed. This is followed by a review of current state-of-the-art modeling approaches. Finally, a specific example is presented that describes the application of the approach to a specific CNT composite system.