Advances in Tribology of Polymer Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2024 | Viewed by 6419

Special Issue Editors

Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: polymer tribology; polymer composites; lubricating; friction; wear; polymeric porous material; intelligent lubricating materials
State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: polymer tribology; tribochemistry; tribofilm; interface interaction; atomic wear; molecular dynamics
State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
Interests: polymer composite; polymer analysis and characterization; polymer processing and engineering; polymer applications; polymer physics; polymer theory; polymer FEM or MD simulations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue aims to present original articles or reviews on polymer tribology. Polymer composite materials have been increasingly used for tribological applications in recent years due to their excellent self-lubricating behavior and mechanical property, yet today, much of the knowledge on polymer tribological behavior is often empirical, and very limited predictive capability currently exists. Although many studies in the last 30 years have investigated the friction and wear behavior of polymer and polymer composites under different sliding conditions, the polymer friction–wear processes, the nature of atomic or molecule wear, the wear control mechanism, and the tribofilm growth mechanisms are still not well understood for scientists, which limits the design and development of novel polymer self-lubricating composites that offer better tribological performance in different fields of application. This Special Issue of Polymers focuses on research on friction and wear mechanisms, new methods of tribological testing of polymers, and the development of new polymer lubricating materials. Articles in the Special Issue may apply to polymers, plastics, and polymer-based composites used in all areas of technology and science. The Special Issue will include the best articles on the latest achievements in the field of broadly understood polymer tribology.

This Special Issue invites original papers and reviews reporting on recent progress in the following areas:

  • Tribological properties of new types of polymers and polymer composites;
  • Chemical and physical modifications of polymers to improve their tribological properties;
  • Novel self-adaptive or stimuli-responsive intelligent lubricating materials;
  • Tribofilm growth processes and mechanisms;
  • Methodology of tribological research on polymers.

Dr. Chao Wang
Dr. Fuzhi Song
Dr. Gai Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tribology
  • wear and friction mechanism
  • tribofilm
  • tribochemistry
  • polymer and polymer composites
  • interface interaction
  • polymer physics
  • polymer theory
  • polymer FEM or MD simulations

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 5886 KiB  
Article
Tribological Properties of Polyimide Composites Modified with Diamondoid Metal–Organic Frameworks
by Zihui Yu, Xianqiang Pei, Qianyao Pei, Yan Wang, Zhancheng Zhang, Yaoming Zhang, Qihua Wang and Tingmei Wang
Polymers 2024, 16(6), 806; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16060806 - 14 Mar 2024
Viewed by 451
Abstract
In this work, diamondoid metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were efficiently prepared by sonochemical synthesis and grown on polyimide (PI), aiming to improve the anti-wear performance of the PI matrix. By introducing MOFs into the PI matrix, the free movement of PI molecular chains were [...] Read more.
In this work, diamondoid metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were efficiently prepared by sonochemical synthesis and grown on polyimide (PI), aiming to improve the anti-wear performance of the PI matrix. By introducing MOFs into the PI matrix, the free movement of PI molecular chains were restricted, and its hardness and elastic modulus were improved. It was found that the wear rate of the 3 wt.% MOFs/PI composites was reduced by 72.6% compared to pure PI at a load of 4 N after tribological testing by using a ball-on-disk tribometer. This can be attributed to the excellent load-bearing and shear resistance of the fourfold-interpenetrated diamondoid networks, in which the transition metal elements can favor the formation of transfer films. It is worth noting that the 3 wt.% MOFs/PI composites still exhibited great tribological properties under high loads or high speeds. The findings of the present study indicate that diamondoid metal-organic frameworks can be used as efficient modifiers to enhance the tribological properties of PI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tribology of Polymer Composites)
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17 pages, 16058 KiB  
Article
Tribological Characterization of a Novel Ceramic–Epoxy–Kevlar Composite
by Yassin Fouad, Abdulrahman A. Aleid, Omer Osman, Necar Merah, Amjad Shaarawi, Ali Hijles and Fawzia Waluyo
Polymers 2024, 16(6), 785; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16060785 - 12 Mar 2024
Viewed by 487
Abstract
This work aims to explore the effect of side load and rotational speed on the tribological behavior of a novel ceramic–epoxy composite in Kevlar matrix casing lining that is in contact with a rotating drillpipe tool joint (DP-TJ) coated with the same composite. [...] Read more.
This work aims to explore the effect of side load and rotational speed on the tribological behavior of a novel ceramic–epoxy composite in Kevlar matrix casing lining that is in contact with a rotating drillpipe tool joint (DP-TJ) coated with the same composite. Three rotational speeds (65, 115, and 154 rpm) and three side loads (500, 700, and 1000 N) were considered under water-based mud (WBM) lubrication. Wear depths, volumes, and specific casing wear rates (K) were determined for each combination of speed and load. The wear depth and K were found to increase with an increasing applied side load. However, the specific casing wear rate at the rotational speed of 115 rpm was found to be the lowest among the three speeds. This is mainly due to a probable lubrication regime change from boundary lubrication at 65 rpm to hydrodynamic lubrication with a thick lubricant film at 115 rpm. The digital microscope images were used to determine the wear mechanism, showing that at low speeds, the main mechanism was abrasive wear, but the increase in the speed brought about more adhesive wear. In contrast, the change in the side load does not affect the wear mechanism of the casing. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to analyze the surface and composition of the novel material before and after the wear tests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tribology of Polymer Composites)
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13 pages, 5694 KiB  
Article
Effect of Recycled Polyvinyl Butyral (rPVB) Addition on the Tribological Performance of Glass–Fiber Reinforced Polyamide (PAGF) during Reciprocating Sliding Wear Conditions
by Isabel Ariadna Carmona-Cervantes, Iván Campos-Silva, Ulises Figueroa-López and Andrea Guevara-Morales
Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2580; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112580 - 05 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1049
Abstract
Plastic recycling in the automotive industry is a priority. In this study, the effect of adding recycled polyvinyl butyral (rPVB) from automotive windshields on the coefficient of friction (CoF) and specific wear rate (k) of a glass–fiber reinforced polyamide (PAGF) is [...] Read more.
Plastic recycling in the automotive industry is a priority. In this study, the effect of adding recycled polyvinyl butyral (rPVB) from automotive windshields on the coefficient of friction (CoF) and specific wear rate (k) of a glass–fiber reinforced polyamide (PAGF) is investigated. It was found that, at 15 and 20 wt.% of rPVB, it acts as a solid lubricant, reducing CoF and k up to 27% and 70%, respectively. Microscopical analysis of the wear tracks showed that rPVB spreads over the worn tracks, forming a lubricant layer, which protects the fibers from damage. However, at lower rPVB content, fiber damage cannot be prevented as the protective lubricant layer is not formed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tribology of Polymer Composites)
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12 pages, 7267 KiB  
Article
Improving Surface Wear Resistance of Polyimide by Inserting KH550 Grafted GO
by Chen Liu, Jingfu Song, Gai Zhao and Qingjun Ding
Polymers 2023, 15(11), 2577; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112577 - 04 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1247
Abstract
To improve the wear resistance of polyimide (PI), surface modification was developed. In this study, the tribological properties of graphene (GN), graphene oxide (GO), and KH550-grafted graphene oxide (K5-GO) modified PI were evaluated by molecular dynamics (MD) at the atomic level. The findings [...] Read more.
To improve the wear resistance of polyimide (PI), surface modification was developed. In this study, the tribological properties of graphene (GN), graphene oxide (GO), and KH550-grafted graphene oxide (K5-GO) modified PI were evaluated by molecular dynamics (MD) at the atomic level. The findings indicated that the addition of nanomaterials can significantly enhance the friction performance of PI. The friction coefficient of PI composites decreased from 0.253 to 0.232, 0.136, and 0.079 after coating GN, GO and K5-GO, respectively. Among them, the K5-GO/PI exhibited the best surface wear resistance. Importantly, the mechanism behind the modification of PI was thoroughly revealed by observing the wear state, analyzing the changes of interfacial interactions, interfacial temperature, and relative concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tribology of Polymer Composites)
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16 pages, 4921 KiB  
Article
High Wear Resistance of POSS Grafted-Polyimide/Silica Composites under Atomic Oxygen Conditions
by Huimin Qi, Yang Lei, Xuemei Lei, Ding Zhang, Yafeng Zhang, Jiaxin Yu and Baogang Guo
Polymers 2023, 15(10), 2385; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15102385 - 19 May 2023
Viewed by 1067
Abstract
Polyimide-bearing retainer has been successfully used in space environment. However, the structural damage of polyimide induced by space irradiation limits its wide use. In order to further improve the atomic oxygen resistance of polyimide and comprehensively investigate the tribological mechanism of polyimide composites [...] Read more.
Polyimide-bearing retainer has been successfully used in space environment. However, the structural damage of polyimide induced by space irradiation limits its wide use. In order to further improve the atomic oxygen resistance of polyimide and comprehensively investigate the tribological mechanism of polyimide composites exposed in simulate space environment, 3-amino-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (NH2-POSS) was incorporated into a polyimide molecular chain and silica (SiO2) nanoparticles were in situ added into polyimide matrix and the combined effect of vacuum environment, and atomic oxygen (AO) on the tribological performance of polyimide was studied using bearing steel as the counterpart by a ball on disk tribometer. XPS analysis demonstrated the formation of protective layer induced by AO. The wear resistance of polyimide after modification was enhanced under AO attack. FIB-TEM confirmed that the inert protective layer of Si was formed on the counterpart during the sliding process. Mechanisms behind this are discussed based on the systematic characterization of worn surfaces of the samples and the tribofilms formed on the counterbody. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tribology of Polymer Composites)
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Review

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16 pages, 2438 KiB  
Review
Research on the Friction Noise Generation Mechanism and Suppression Method of Submarine Rubber-Based Propeller Bearings—A Review
by Cunguang Cai, Yuqiang Cheng and Changgeng Shuai
Polymers 2023, 15(16), 3352; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15163352 - 10 Aug 2023
Viewed by 886
Abstract
This article introduces the main mechanisms of friction noise generated by submarine rubber-based propeller bearings and analyzes their respective scope of application and limitations. Then, the research on suppressing friction noise through the optimization of the structure and improvement of materials of rubber-based [...] Read more.
This article introduces the main mechanisms of friction noise generated by submarine rubber-based propeller bearings and analyzes their respective scope of application and limitations. Then, the research on suppressing friction noise through the optimization of the structure and improvement of materials of rubber-based propeller bearings is discussed. Finally, the article summarizes a promising research direction aimed at eliminating friction noise in submarine rubber-based propeller bearings. By improving the structure and materials, the friction noise of propeller bearings can be effectively suppressed, thereby improving the deterrence and stealth performance of submarines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Tribology of Polymer Composites)
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