Carbon nanotubes as reinforcement in composites: A review of the analytical, numerical and experimental approaches

Abstract

This review article is intended to highlight and categorize the most important and novel studies conducted to explore the mechanical behavior of nano-composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The existing articles cover the mechanical performance of reinforced composites, both theoretically and experimentally, which allows an accurate estimate of the mechanical performance of these nano-structures. It was addressed that the predictive methods can be categorized as: models based on unit cells with a single fiber, models considering a unit cell with a larger number of fibers, and how the fibers are modeled: as a 1D, 2D, or 3D configuration. Furthermore, we review two different experimental methods (destructive and non-destructive) in order to highlight more investigations in this particular field of research. The presented review article includes: (i) a brief outline to CNT reinforced composites; (ii) a review of investigation on analytical, numerical, and experimental modeling; and (iii) a comprehensive conclusion regarding the argued investigations and some thoughts on the potential development.