Orthotropic Polymeric Composites with Microstructure Tailored by Electric Field

Abstract

Solid composites having a microtailored structure are produced by curing liquid polymeric suspensions in an electric field. The field-induced redistribution of inclusions exceeds the effect of hydrodynamic interactions in polymeric flows and sedimentation during centrifugation. Using an electric field, one can locally control the micro- or nanometer-sized inclusions. An electric field can be employed to produce a composite having a uniformly oriented structure or to modify the material only in selected regions. This article presents an experimental study of micro- and nanocomposites. The relationships between the microstructure and the mechanical and thermal properties are obtained for uniformly graded composites. These results are needed for the next step in developing the field-aided technology - optimization of material structure for a given design objective.

Keywords

polymeric composites orthotropic solids nanocomposites microtailored structure functionally graded materials electric field

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