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

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 (similar to 66%) and elastic modulus (similar to 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 similar to 0.08 for pristine UHMWPE film to similar to 0.16 for the nanocomposite). (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.