Simulation of variations in mechanical properties of polyurethane elastomers modified with carbon nanotubes

The addition of extremely small portions of single-wall carbon nanotubes causes an anomalous change in mechanical properties of a cross-linked polyurethane-amide-urea elastomer containing 10% of polyamide-6; namely, with a nanofiller content of hundredths and thousandths of a percent, local maxima of elastic modulus and ultimate stress are observed. In the work, the anomalous variation in the elastic modulus is simulated relying on the concept of intermediate phase layer formation at the boundary of contacting particles of the initial material.