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Carbon nanotube (CNT) composites have mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties superior to those of conventional polymer resin materials. In particular, multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites have higher mechanical strength than single-walled carbon nanotube composites. This work investigates the methods for analytically evaluating and predicting the mechanical properties of MWCNT-reinforced nanocomposites to enable their effective mechanical design. First, the correlation between the thickness of the interphase region (between the carbon nanotubes and the polymer matrix) and the mechanical properties of the MWCNT-reinforced composite was studied. Next, the effect of the relative distribution of carbon nanotubes in the matrix on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites fabricated by injection molding was evaluated. Finally, the effect of agglomerate size on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites was investigated, and a critical size for carbon nanotube agglomerates was analytically proposed.

In the field of thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), experimental methods cannot quantify the relationship between the internal structure and performance of TPV, and are not conducive to the accurate design of TPV structure and performance, which is one of the problems to be solved in this field. In this study, a simple and effective two-dimensional micromechanical model was established based on the real microstructure of TPV by using the micromechanical method and the mechanical properties of TPV with different ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) mass fractions were studied. The results show that with the increase of EPDM content, the maximum stress distribution area of TPV would change, the elastic modulus of TPV would gradually decrease, while the maximum stress of polypropylene (PP) phase would first decrease and then increase and strain corresponding to elastic–plastic change would also increase. The resilience of TPV increases with the increase of EPDM content and decreases with the increase of strain load. When the EPDM content is higher than 70%, the “S” bending deformation would occur at the thinnest part of PP matrix ligament.