The Effect of α‐Zirconium Phosphate Nanosheets on Thermal, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of Polyimide

Abstract

AbstractIn this work, to investigate the addition effect of 2D α‐zirconium phosphate (α‐ZrP) nanosheets on the properties of polyimide (PI), a series of PI/ZrP composites are synthesized by in situ polymerization. The thermal, mechanical, and tribological properties of composites strongly depend on the dispersity and distribution of α‐ZrP nanosheets in the PI matrix. The dispersed α‐ZrP can make rich interfacial interactions with PI matrix, which facilitates the transfer of external stress, heat, antiwear ability, etc., from the PI matrix to the surface of the α‐ZrP nanosheets, leading to the obvious enhancements of the thermal, mechanical, and tribological properties of the PI/ZrP composites. Specially, compared with pure PI, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the optimum sample of PI‐0.6 are increased by 13.7% and 35.7%, while its wear volume is reduced by 85%. This work provides a new paradigm for using other layered 2D nanosheets to prepare high‐performance PI‐based composite materials.