Graphene/carbon nanotube-reinforced nickel composites: A molecular dynamics study

Abstract

Materials Studio 7.0 has been used as a tool for finding the modulus and thermal conductivity of nanocomposites. Two different computational models, single-layer graphene/nickel and carbon nanotube/nickel composites have been examined to study the effect of nanofiller geometry on Young’s modulus and thermal conductivity of these nanocomposites. Effect of increase in temperature on Young’s modulus has also been predicted using MD. The results show that for the same volume fraction (Vf), Young’s modulus of the SLGS/Ni composite is higher than that of the CNT/ Ni composite, showing that SLGS is a better reinforcement than CNT for Ni-based composites.