Effect of organic-modified nickel phyllosilicates on the tribological, mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy composites

The present study aims at investigating the effect of organic-modified nickel phyllosilicate (NiPS) particles on the structure-property relationships of epoxy (EP) composites. The organic-modified NiPS particles were synthesized using a facile sol-gel method and subsequently mixed into EP matrix by physical blending to improve its tribological, mechanical and thermal properties. Based on a series of tests and analyses, it was found that organic-modified NiPS particles playing a great role in improving the tribological properties under dry sliding. The steady-state friction coefficient was just decreased moderately, whereas the wear rate was dropped significantly to 0.36 x 10(-5) mm(3)/N.m, showing a reduction up to ca. 95% in comparison with pure EP. According to the analysis of worn surfaces, the main mechanism of wear resistance was discussed. The elastic modulus for the EP composites was increased remarkably while the elongation at break decreased. However, the added organic-modified NiPS particles show a negligible influence on the tensile strength. Moreover, the incorporated NiPS particles could enhance the thermal stability of EP composites, showing the notably suppressed mass loss rate and added residual chars. This study provided a promising way for preparing the high-performance EP composites with organic-modified lamellar particles. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.