Nonlinear DC-response in Composites: a Percolative Study

TL;DR

This paper investigates the nonlinear DC electrical response of composite materials using a minimal bond percolative network model, combining simulations and effective medium approximation to understand their generic behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a simple percolative network model to simulate and analyze the nonlinear DC response of composite materials, providing insights into their underlying physics.

Findings

Nonlinear I-V and G-V characteristics observed in simulated networks

Effective medium approximation effectively describes the macroscopic response

Model captures key features of composite material behavior

Abstract

The DC-response, namely the $I$-$V$ and $G$-$V$ charateristics, of a variety of composite materials are in general found to be nonlinear. We attempt to understand the generic nature of the response charactersistics and study the peculiarities associated with them. Our approach is based on a simple and minimal model bond percolative network. We do simulate the resistor network with appropritate linear and nonlinear bonds and obtain macroscopic nonlinear response characteristics. We discuss the associated physics. An effective medium approximation (EMA) of the corresponding resistor network is also given.