Abstract
Due to a growing demand for protecting metallic components from wear and tear, polymer coatings are being extensively researched and developed as one of the most effective and efficient solutions to reduce friction and wear in demanding tribological applications. The present study focuses on developing a polymer nanocomposite coating of ultra-high molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE) reinforced with different loadings (0.5, 3, 5, and 10 wt %) of alumina to protect steel surfaces. Wear tests were conducted on the coated samples using a tribometer with a ball-on-disk configuration, sliding against a 440C hardened stainless steel ball as a counterface to evaluate the wear life and the load-bearing capacity of the developed coatings. Micro-indentation, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical profilometry techniques were used to characterize the coatings in terms of hardness, dispersion of the nanofillers, morphology, and wear mechanisms, respectively. Results showed that the UHMWPE nanocomposite coating reinforced with 3 wt % and 5 wt % of alumina did not fail, even until 250,000 cycles at a normal load of 12 N and a linear speed of 0.1 m/s, showing a significant improvement in wear resistance as compared to the pristine UHMWPE coating.
Highlights
Since its development in the early 1950s, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)has gained popularity owing to its bio-compatibility [1,2,3,4], self-lubricating properties [5], chemical stability [6], and wear and impact resistance, thereby making it an excellent choice for a range of engineering and biomedical applications.In the biomedical field, UHMWPE has proven to be an excellent material for spine, hip, and implant therapies [7,8]
Ceramic particle which presents itself as an excellent choice of a nanofiller, owing to its extremely high nanocomposites in bulk and in the form of coatings, ceramic nanoparticles [21,22,23] offer a variety of hardness retention at elevated temperatures, bio-inertness, ability to enhance the pristine polymer’s properties which tend to enhance the performance of UHMWPE
As can be observed from the figure, there was no sign of any agglomeration of alumina nanoparticles for the nanocomposite coatings with 0.5, 3, and 5 wt %
Summary
Since its development in the early 1950s, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Of the various options available to researchers involved in the development of UHMWPE ceramic particle which presents itself as an excellent choice of a nanofiller, owing to its extremely high nanocomposites in bulk and in the form of coatings, ceramic nanoparticles [21,22,23] offer a variety of hardness retention at elevated temperatures, bio-inertness, ability to enhance the pristine polymer’s properties which tend to enhance the performance of UHMWPE. This research work is based work primarily on development and tribological characterization dimension to current scientific research on UHMWPE nanocomposite coatings for biomedical of alumina-reinforced UHMWPE nanocomposite coatings on steel substrates, which aims to present and industrial bearing applications. A new dimension to current scientific research work on UHMWPE nanocomposite coatings for biomedical andMethods industrial bearing applications
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