title: Influence of microstructural features on thermal expansion coefficient in graphene/epoxy composites.
abstract: In this paper, theoretical calculations were conducted to determine the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) based on the effective medium approach using Green's function method. The influences of microstructural features were investigated, including volume fraction, aspect ratio, and the orientation of graphene fillers. Calculated results demonstrated strong anisotropy of CTE when all graphene sheets in the composite were aligned in the in-plane direction due to the large difference between the elastic moduli of the graphene and epoxy. The in-plane CTE in the graphene/epoxy composite can be effectively reduced with small additions of graphene additive. Orientation dispersion among the graphene fillers significantly decreases the anisotropy of CTE. Accounting for the influences of all microstructural features, simulation results closely align with current experimental results. This work will provide a general guideline and a solid foundation for the optimal design and preparation of graphene/polymer composites.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Materials Genome, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Materials Genome, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Materials Genome, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: School of Aerospace Engineering, Xiamen University, 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei-Wei
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Materials Genome, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Shui-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Materials Genome, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Materials Genome, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Jia-Jia
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Materials Genome, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Cui-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian Key Laboratory of Materials Genome, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Xing-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Aerospace Engineering, Xiamen University, 361005, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Engineering; Materials science