Micromechanical model for isolated polymer-colloid clusters under tension

Roozbeh Dargazany, Jiaqi Lin, Leila Khalili, Mikhail Itskov, Hsieh Chen, and Alfredo Alexander-Katz
Phys. Rev. E 94, 042501 – Published 10 October 2016
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

Binary polymer-colloid (PC) composites form the majority of biological load-bearing materials. Due to the abundance of the polymer and particles, and their simple aggregation process, PC clusters are used broadly by nature to create biomaterials with a variety of functions. However, our understanding of the mechanical features of the clusters and their load transfer mechanism is limited. Our main focus in this paper is the elastic behavior of close-packed PC clusters formed in the presence of polymer linkers. Therefore, a micromechanical model is proposed to predict the constitutive behavior of isolated polymer-colloid clusters under tension. The mechanical response of a cluster is considered to be governed by a backbone chain, which is the stress path that transfers most of the applied load. The developed model can reproduce the mean behavior of the clusters and is not dependent on their local geometry. The model utilizes four geometrical parameters for defining six shape descriptor functions which can affect the geometrical change of the clusters in the course of deformation. The predictions of the model are benchmarked against an extensive set of simulations by coarse-grained-Brownian dynamics, where clusters with different shapes and sizes were considered. The model exhibits good agreement with these simulations, which, besides its relative simplicity, makes the model an excellent add-on module for implementation into multiscale models of nanocomposites.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
7 More
  • Received 27 June 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.94.042501

©2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsPolymers & Soft Matter

Authors & Affiliations

Roozbeh Dargazany1,*, Jiaqi Lin2, Leila Khalili1, Mikhail Itskov3, Hsieh Chen2, and Alfredo Alexander-Katz2

  • 1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, Michigan 48824, USA
  • 2Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts 02139, USA
  • 3Department of Continuum Mechanics, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany

  • *roozbeh@msu.edu

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 94, Iss. 4 — October 2016

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
CHORUS

Article Available via CHORUS

Download Accepted Manuscript
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review E

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×