On the dry sliding wear performance of silane surface modified graphene nanoplatelets-epoxy nanocomposites

In the present study, the tribological response of graphene (Gr)-epoxy nanocomposites was investigated. At the first step, the surface of Gr nanoplatelets was modified with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane (3-APTMS), and the introduction of the organic chains to the surface of Gr was confirmed using fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Then, the influence of silane modified Gr (SGr) loading (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt.%) on the tribological response of specimens was assessed. The results demonstrated that with the addition of SGr in the epoxy matrix, a significant improvement in the tribological behavior (declining the wear rate and enhancing the coefficient of friction) of specimens was observed. Approximately 40% and 68% decrease in coefficient of friction and wear rate of epoxy matrix, respectively, was observed at 0.3 wt.% SGr loading. The improvement in the wear characteristics of SGr-epoxy nanocomposites was mainly due to the high specific surface area, two-dimensional planar geometry and self-lubrication of Gr nanoplatelets together with good interfacial strength between SGr and epoxy matrix.