Multiscale Model for the Extreme Piezoresistivity in Silicone/Nickel Nanostrand Nanocomposites

Extreme piezoresistivity was discovered in a silicone/nickel nanostrand (silicone/NiNs) nanocomposite. A novel technique was developed to study the charge transport phenomena responsible for the piezoresistive mechanism in the silicone/NiNs system using conductive nanoindentation. A quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT)/percolation model was developed, which bridges the gap between quantum effects at the nanoscopic scale and bulk material response at the macroscopic scale. The predictions of this model are compared to experimental measurements.