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Piezoresistive response and damage evolution of CNT/TPU/ABS nanocomposites under tensile loading
File(s)
Author(s)
Zhang, Z
Goyal, P
Adrien, J
Tagarielli, VL
Maire, E
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We investigated the piezoresistive performance and damage evolution of carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced polymer composites suitable for deformable electronics. CNT/TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane)/ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) nanocomposites (TPU/ABS weight ratio: 4/1) were manufactured via solution-casting and hot-pressing. A low electrical percolation threshold of 0.1 wt% and a 70% improvement in elastic modulus at 1 wt% CNT loading were achieved, indicating effective CNT distribution and interfacial interaction. To study the mechanism governing the piezoresistive responses of CNT/TPU/ABS, specimens underwent monotonic, stiffness-sensing, and progressive cyclic tests. The nanocomposite resistance exhibited three distinct responses to deformation under progressive cyclic tests. Notably, the volumetric conductivity results, decoupling the effects of applied strain and variation in conductivity on the electrical resistance, revealed the negative piezoresistivity of CNT/TPU/ABS during the unloading and reloading processes in the cyclic tests. This finding helps explain the resistance-strain response of similar nanocomposites based on the competition between the intrinsic piezoresistive effect and geometric changes. Furthermore, the in-situ electromechanical X-ray computed tomography (CT) test directly correlated the macroscopic electrical responses of CNT/TPU/ABS and its microstructural damage evolution. After void nucleation, the resistance was found to continue increasing during stress relaxation.
Date Issued
2026-09-01
Date Acceptance
2026-05-09
Citation
Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2026, 208
URI
URL
DOI
ISSN
1359-835X
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
Volume
208
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
109925
Date Publish Online
2026-05-10