Achieving the ultra-low friction and wear rate of PEEK-PTFE composites by Ti3C2Tx MXene reinforcement

In this work, a series of poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) and poly(tetra-fluoroethylene) (PTFE) composites reinforced by Ti3C2Tx 3 C 2 T x MXene are fabricated, and the mechanical as well as tribological properties are investigated. The MXene forms a strong bonding with both PEEK and PTFE, thus improving the compressive strength by 28.37% when compared to the undoped composite. Meanwhile, the MXene selectively adheres PTFE on the ZrO2 2 counterpart and facilitates the formation of transfer tribofilm. Eventually, the PEEK(Ti3C2Tx)-PTFE 3 C 2 T x )-PTFE composites reach an ultra-low coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.065 +/- 0.003 accompanied by a decrement in wear rate of 40 %. The promising performances of PEEK-PTFE composites by MXene reinforcement indicate an efficient way towards self-lubricating composites.