Abstract
In this research work, unfilled and mono-filled polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) materials were developed and characterised by physical, thermal, viscoelastic, mechanical, and wear analysis. The applied fillers were graphene, alumina (Al2O3), boehmite alumina (BA80), and hydrotalcite (MG70) in 0.25/1/4/8 and 16 wt % filler content. All samples were produced by room temperature pressing–free sintering method. All of the fillers were blended with PTFE by intensive dry mechanical stirring; the efficiency of the blending was analysed by Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) method. Compared to neat PTFE, graphene in 4/8/16 wt % improved the thermal conductivity by ~29%/~84%/~157%, respectively. All fillers increased the storage, shear and tensile modulus and decreased the ductility. PTFE with 4 wt % Al2O3 content reached the lowest wear rate; the reduction was more than two orders of magnitude compared to the neat PTFE.
Highlights
Nanoparticle filled thermoplastics are widely investigated materials due to their beneficial features
The freeze-fractured surfaces of PTFE/graphene-4, PTFE/Al2O3-4, PTFE/BA80-4 and PTFE/MG70-4 samples were analysed by Raman spectroscopy or Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS)
The homogeneity of the powder blends was investigated by EDS/Raman spectrometry
Summary
Nanoparticle filled thermoplastics are widely investigated materials due to their beneficial features. These nanoparticles can enhance the mechanical, thermal properties and flame retardancy of the thermoplastics and they can achieve a significant improvement of wear resistance as well [1,2,3,4,5]. Focusing on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), this thermoplastic has high thermal stability, excellent chemical resistance, low coefficient of friction, and good self-lubricating property compared to other semi-crystalline thermoplastics. Well-known limitations of PTFE are the relatively low mechanical properties and the high wear rate, which can be improved with the application of reinforcements such as fibers and micro- or nanoparticles [6,7]. Sliding bearings can be an example, where the surpassing of the mechanical performance of neat PTFE is a requirement
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