Micro-tribological Characteristics of Silica/Polymer Nanocomposite Coatings

摘要

Inorganic/polymer composite materials have been widely investigated for their unique properties. They combine the advantages of inorganic materials such as rigidity, strength, and thermal stability with those of polymers that include processability and flexibility. In this work, silica nanoparticles were mixed with a polymer matrix to formulate a silica/polymer nanocomposite for tribological applications. The micro-tribological characteristics of various silica/polymer nanocomposite coatings were investigated by a reciprocating tribotester which is shown in Figure 1. Particularly, the effects of silica content on the friction and wear characteristics of the coatings were investigated. Furthermore, the silica surface was modified by 3-Methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (MPS) to assess the effect of coupling agent on the micro-tribological characteristics of the coatings. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was used as the polymer matrix in the initial phase of this work.