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Tribological Properties of Polytetrafluoroethylene Improved by Incorporation of Fluorinated Graphene with Various Fluorine/Carbon Ratios Under Dry Sliding Condition

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Abstract

Fluorinated graphene (FG) with various fluorine/carbon (F/C) ratios and graphene (G) employed as additions were incorporated into the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) matrix aiming to improve the tribological properties of this self-lubricating polymer. The friction coefficients and wear rates of PTFE-based composites were tested under dry sliding condition using a ball-on-disc configuration. The performances of self-lubricity and wear resistance for four fabricated FG/PTFE composites were superior to those of G/PTFE composite, attributable to the specific surface area and chemical composition of FG sheets with various F/C ratios. Among them, the FG/PTFE composite with filler (F/C ≈ 0.5) loading of 5 wt% exhibited the best tribological property, i.e., the lowest friction coefficient (0.131) and the smallest steady-state wear rate (9.20 × 10–16 m3/Nm). This can be attributed to the formation of uniform and complete transfer film on the friction interface via the tribochemical reactions.

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Correspondence to Laizhou Song or Yulin Yang.

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Liang, L., Song, L., Yang, Y. et al. Tribological Properties of Polytetrafluoroethylene Improved by Incorporation of Fluorinated Graphene with Various Fluorine/Carbon Ratios Under Dry Sliding Condition. Tribol Lett 69, 21 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-020-01398-3

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