Kyrylyuk Andriy V, van der Schoot Paul
Theoretical and Polymer Physics Group, Eindhoven Polymer Laboratories and Dutch Polymer Institute, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jun 17;105(24):8221-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0711449105. Epub 2008 Jun 11.
We apply continuum connectedness percolation theory to realistic carbon nanotube systems and predict how bending flexibility, length polydispersity, and attractive interactions between them influence the percolation threshold, demonstrating that it can be used as a predictive tool for designing nanotube-based composite materials. We argue that the host matrix in which the nanotubes are dispersed controls this threshold through the interactions it induces between them during processing and through the degree of connectedness that must be set by the tunneling distance of electrons, at least in the context of conductivity percolation. This provides routes to manipulate the percolation threshold and the level of conductivity in the final product. We find that the percolation threshold of carbon nanotubes is very sensitive to the degree of connectedness, to the presence of small quantities of longer rods, and to very weak attractive interactions between them. Bending flexibility or tortuosity, on the other hand, has only a fairly weak impact on the percolation threshold.
我们将连续统连通渗流理论应用于实际的碳纳米管系统，并预测弯曲柔韧性、长度多分散性以及它们之间的吸引相互作用如何影响渗流阈值，证明该理论可作为设计基于纳米管的复合材料的预测工具。我们认为，纳米管分散于其中的主体基质通过其在加工过程中诱导的纳米管间相互作用以及至少在电导率渗流情况下必须由电子隧穿距离设定的连通程度来控制该阈值。这为操纵渗流阈值和最终产品中的电导率水平提供了途径。我们发现，碳纳米管的渗流阈值对连通程度、少量较长棒状碳纳米管的存在以及它们之间非常微弱的吸引相互作用非常敏感。另一方面，弯曲柔韧性或曲折度对渗流阈值的影响相当微弱。
