Tribological Properties of Polymer Composite with Impregnated Quasicrystal Nanoparticles

Abstract

In this work, a study is carried out on the introduction of quasicrystal particles into a thermoplastic polymer and it is shown that this leads to changes in the structure of polyethylene. The introduction of quasicrystal particles into a thermoplastic polymer leads to changes in the structure of polyethylene: the degree of crystallinity decreases from 42% (PE) to 27% (10AlCuFe/PE) with increasing concentration of the filler, the ratio of bands corresponding to amorphous and crystalline regions in the IR spectra changes, which indicates on the amorphization of the PE structure. The specimens have improved wear resistance (the wear rate decreased by 96% compared to the original PE), but the friction coefficient remained practically unchanged. It is shown that the addition of quasicrystal nanoparticles in a small amount (up to 10 wt.%) leads to an increase in hardness, but does not have a noticeable effect on the surface roughness. The results obtained indicate that quasicrystals can serve as effective fillers for promising polymeric materials in products for aerospace, instrument making, and other industries.