A modified version of conventional Halpin-Tsai model for the tensile modulus of polymer halloysite nanotube nanocomposites by filler network and nearby interphase

Conventional Halpin-Tsai model neglects the nets of filler and interphase in the composites above mechanical percolation onset. Here, Halpin-Tsai model is developed to calculate the modulus of halloysite-nanotube (HNT)-based composites by interphase/HNT nets. The novel model correlates the stiffness to the moduli and concentrations of nanofiller, HNT net and adjoining interphase net. The experimentally measured moduli of several composites and the examinations of parameters are used to examine the calculations of advanced model. All calculations correctly match to the experimental facts and the parametric examinations show the acceptable outputs. The nanocomposite's modulus of 3.27 GPa is calculated by the interphase volume fraction of 0.02. Also, HNT length of 0.5 μm obtains the modulus of 2 GPa, while the modulus of system develops to 4.3 GPa at filler length of 4 μm. The percolation onset of 0.001 maximizes the modulus to 3.9 GPa, but the stiffness reduces to 2.65 GPa in the percolation onset of 0.01. In addition, the filler net modulus of 150 GPa harvests the stiffness of 2.47 GPa, nonetheless the stiffness raises to 3.9 GPa at the net modulus of 500 GPa.