Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with aminosilanes via an aqueous deposition route. The size and morphology of siloxane oligomers grafted to the MWCNTs was tuned by varying the silane functionality and concentration and their effect on the properties of a filled epoxy system was investigated. The siloxane structure was found to profoundly affect the thermo-mechanical behavior of composites reinforced with the silanized MWCNTs. Well-defined siloxane brushes increased the epoxy T g by up to 19 °C and significantly altered the network relaxation dynamics, while irregular, siloxane networks grafted to the MWCNTs had little effect. The addition of both types of silanized MWCNTs elicited improvements in the strength of the nanocomposites, but only the well-defined siloxane brushes engendered dramatic improvements in toughness. Because the silanization reaction is simple, rapid, and performed under aqueous conditions, it is also an industrially attractive functionalization route.

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Large size effects are experimentally measured in lattices of triangular unit cells: about a factor of 36 in torsion rigidity and 29 in bending rigidity. This nonclassical phenomenon is consistent with Cosserat elasticity, which allows for the rotation of points and distributed moments in addition to the translation of points and force stress of classical elasticity. The Cosserat characteristic length for torsion is ℓ_{t}=9.4  mm; for bending, it is ℓ_{b}=8.8  mm; these values are comparable to the cell size. Nonclassical effects are much stronger than in stretch-dominated lattices with uniform straight ribs. The lattice structure provides a path to the attainment of arbitrarily large effects.

Negative Poisson's ratio polymer foams derived from reticulated open cell foams exhibit large size effects in torsion and bending. Effective moduli increase as diameter decreases in contrast to the prediction of classical elasticity. Size effects of this sort are predicted by Cosserat (micropolar) elasticity in which points can rotate as well as translate and distributed moments are incorporated. The Cosserat coupling number N was about twice as large as that of as-received foam, leading to strong effects. The torsion characteristic length t was similar. Cosserat effects are known to enhance toughness and immunity from stress concentration.

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