Preparation of inorganic oil-containing carbon nanocapsules and tribological properties of PA6 composites

Abstract

Oil-containing polymer composites have garnered significant attention in the field of tribology due to their remarkable environmental stability and outstanding self-lubricating performance. It is important to develop an oil-containing polymer composite with excellent self-lubricating properties and mechanical properties. In this study, we successfully synthesized hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres (HMCNs) with a particle size of about 200 nm and explored the key factors affecting their preparation. Subsequently, an impregnation technique was employed to create oil-containing nanocapsules (Oil@C) by using PAO40 lubricant as core material and HMCNs as wall material. Self-lubricating PAO40@HMCNs nanocapsules have an oil content of approximately 51.6 wt%. The unique mesoporous structure of HMCNs facilitates the controlled release of lubricants. During friction, the Oil@C in the polymer composites continuously provided lubricant to the worn surface, resulting in a remarkable 72.8 % reduction in the coefficient of friction and an 83.2 % decrease in wear rate. Analysis of the friction pair revealed that the PAO40 lubricant released from the nanocapsules played a crucial role in improving the tribological properties of the composites. The prepared PA6 composites exhibit outstanding tribological and self-lubricating properties, making them promising candidates for applications in mechanical parts, such as self-lubricating slide bearings.