Influence of constituent properties and microstructural parameters on the tensile modulus of a polymer/clay nanocomposite

A multi-scale model to predict the moduli of polymer–clay nanocomposites (PCNs) is presented. The model uses a locally orthotropic finite element model to develop constitutive equations to describe the stiffness properties of a group of aligned clay flakes with surrounding interphase suspended in a polymer matrix. The model then assembles a number of flake groups with varied orientations to predict the actual moduli seen in PCNs. The model is in good agreement with an experimentally obtained tensile modulus found in the literature. The model was also applied to estimate the relative influence of constituent properties and microstructural parameters on the anisotropic tensile modulus of the PCN.