Abstract
Ultrathin carbon nanotube films have gathered attention for flexible electronics applications. Unfortunately, their network structure changes significantly even under small applied strains. We perform mesoscopic distinct element method simulations and develop an atomic-scale picture of the network stress relaxation. On this basis, we put forward the concept of mesoscale design by the addition of excluded-volume interactions. We integrate silicon nanoparticles into our model and show that the nanoparticle-filled networks present superior stability and mechanical response relative to those of pure films. The approach opens new possibilities for tuning the network microstructure in a manner that is compatible with flexible electronics applications.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 13611-13618 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 15 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 19 2017 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by an Early Stage Innovations grant from NASA's Space Technology Research Grants Program. Y.W. gratefully acknowledges support from the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute. G.D. gratefully acknowledges partial financial support from Russian Foundation for Basic Research under grants RFBR 16-31-00429 and RFBR 16-31-60100. We thank the Itasca Consulting Group for the PFC3D software support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 American Chemical Society.
Keywords
- carbon nanotubes
- excluded volume
- flexible electronics
- mechanical load
- nanoparticles
- ultrathin films