Effect of particle weight concentration on the lubrication properties of graphene based epoxy composites

Publication date: November 2019Source: Colloid and Interface Science Communications, Volume 33Author(s): Ram Krishna Upadhyay, Arvind KumarAbstractEpoxy-graphene composites are prepared with varying graphene concentration of 1 wt%, 3 wt%, and 5 wt%. Composite fabrication involves continuous stirring of the mixture consisting graphene and epoxy resin followed by curing first at room temperature and subsequently at 100 °C. In the epoxy-graphene composites, compressive stresses show increasing trend with filler concentration. A correlation between surface roughness and wetting is established to explain the Wenzel's contact model. Friction and wear behavior is evaluated under dry/lubricated contact. The average friction-coefficient values of 5 wt% epoxy-graphene composites range between 0.02 and 0.18, and 0.01–0.09 for dry and lubricated contact, respectively. Wear rate under dry and lubricated contact ranges between 0.95 and 3.15 × 10−7 and 0.67–2.21 × 10−7 mm3/N-m, respectively. Minimum dissipation energy of 5.1 × 102 N-m is obtained for 5 wt% epoxy-graphene composites. Functionalization of graphene and tribofilm formation lead to excellent properties in the prepared composites, and they are suitable for light-weight automotive application.Graphical abstract
Source: Colloids and Interface Science Communications - Category: Nanotechnology Source Type: research