Effective elastic moduli of composites with a strongly disordered host material

Abstract

The local elastic properties of strongly disordered host material are investigated using the theory of correlated random matrices. A significant increase in stiffness is shown in the interfacial region, which thickness depends on the strength of disorder. It is shown that this effect plays a crucial role in nanocomposites, in which interfacial regions are formed around each nanoparticle. The studied interfacial effect can significantly increase the influence of nanoparticles on the macroscopic stiffness of nanocomposites. The obtained thickness of the interfacial region is determined by the heterogeneity length scale and is of the same order as the length scale of the boson peak.