An ingenious synergistic solid lubricant of copper and graphite for exceptional wear resistance of the SCF/PTFE/PEEK composite

In this work, the conventional short carbon fiber (SCF)/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/polyetheretherketone(PEEK) (SCF/PTFE/PEEK) composite was elected as the matrix, copper and graphite micron flakes were further blended to prepare PEEK self-lubricating composites. At a pressure of 12MPa and a speed of 0.5m/s, with a graphite content of 7.5wt% and copper of 2.5wt% (Gr7.5Cu2.5), the composite exhibited a COF of 0.23 and the lowest wear rate of 4.1 × 10-7 mm3/Nm. Physicochemical analysis of the worn surface of the steel ring revealed that the introduction of appropriate amounts of copper facilitated the tribo-physicochemical reaction during the rubbing process, which favored the formation of a thin and tough transfer film of Gr7.5Cu2.5 on the worn surface of the steel ring.