Analysis of thermal conductivity of polymeric nanocomposites under mechanical loading

초록

When the plastic deformation is applied to neat polymer, the polymer chains are aligned and the thermal conductivity of neat polymer increases linearly along the loading direction. However, the thermal conductivity change of nanocomposites consisting of polymer matrix and nanofillers during plastic deformation is not simple. The volume fraction and size of nanofillers scarcely affect the structural change of polymer chains during the plastic deformation. In this study, the structural change of polymeric materials according to the mechanical loading and its effect on the thermal transport properties are investigated through a molecular dynamics simulation. To investigate the effects of nanofiller, its volume fraction, and size on the thermal transport properties, the unit cells of neat amorphous nylon 6 and nanocomposites consisting of amorphous nylon 6 matrix and spherical silica particles are prepared. The molecular unit cells are uniaxially stretched by applying constant strain along the loading directions. Then, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations are performed to estimate the thermal conductivities during plastic deformation. The alignment of polymer chains is analyzed by tracing the orientation correlation function of each polymer molecule and the free volume change during the mechanical loading is also analyzed. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

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