# Numerical Investigation of MWCNT Effects on Elastic Properties of PA6/POM Blends

## TL;DR

This paper uses simulations to study how adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes affects the stiffness and flexibility of polymer blends.

## Contribution

The study introduces a numerical investigation on the effect of MWCNT length and content on mechanical properties of polymer blends.

## Key findings

- Increasing MWCNT aspect ratio and volume fraction raises Young’s modulus by up to 46%.
- Poisson’s ratio decreases by up to 1.6% with higher MWCNT content and aspect ratio.
- Longer MWCNTs are more beneficial for mechanical properties despite smaller impact than volume fraction.

## Abstract

To ensure the viability of polymer materials, given the properties and limitations of polymers, hybrid materials have been developed that blend the features of all included components. Researchers have not explored the impacts of the length aspect ratio of nanofillers on the mechanical properties of hybrids in great detail previously. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes are a valuable option because they exhibit improved mechanical properties. Using numerical simulation, the impacts of nanofiller content and the size aspect ratio on two base materials—polyamide 6, polyoxymethylene—and their blends, were determined as a function of the volume ratio, the MWCNTs aspect ratio and the base material blend composition. Numerical analysis employed the ANSYS Material Designer. Random samples of chopped-fibre representative volume elements were generated, meshed and analysed by finite element analysis to obtain the Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio for each sample. The results showed a generally linear dependence. Rises in both aspect ratio and volume fraction of MWCNTs increased the Young’s modulus up to 46% and decreased the Poisson’s ratio up to 1.6%. The findings suggest that although the impact of the aspect ratio is not as large as that of the volume ratio, longer MWCNTs are preferable.