Mechanical, thermal and tribological characterization of a UHMWPE film reinforced with carbon nanotubes coated on steel

Abstract

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) coatings on steel substrate were reinforced with 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 wt% of plasma treated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) to improve their mechanical, thermal and tribological properties. Nanoindentation results showed that the addition of SWCNTs up to 0.2 wt% to the UHMWPE film significantly improved the mechanical properties such as hardness (∼66%) and elastic modulus (∼58%). Wear durability of the reinforced coating increased significantly (more than two orders of magnitude) though with a slight increase in the coefficient of friction (from ∼0.08 for pristine UHMWPE film to ∼0.16 for the nanocomposite). © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.