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Tribological Properties of Nanodiamond-Epoxy Composites

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Abstract

Owing to its superior mechanical properties, nanodiamond (ND) holds great potential to improve tribological characteristics of composites. In this study, we report on the wear and dry friction of epoxy-ND composites prepared from as-received and aminated ND across the length scale range from macro to nano. Comparison of macroscale, microscale, and nanoscale frictional behavior shows that ND is highly effective in improving the wear resistance and friction coefficients of polymer matrices across the different length scales. Although with both types of ND wear resistance and friction coefficients of epoxy-ND composites were significantly improved, aminated ND outperformed as-received ND, which we account to the formation of a strong interface between aminated ND and the epoxy matrix. This study also shows that agglomerates within epoxy-ND composites containing 25 vol.% ND were able to wear an alumina counterbody, indicating very high hardness and Young’s modulus of these agglomerates, that can eventually replace micron sized diamonds currently used in industrial abrasive applications.

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Acknowledgments

Centralized Research Facilities at Drexel University provided access to the NanoIndenter XP and optical light microscope used in this work. AFM measurements were performed at the Nano-Bio Interface Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Macroscopic tribological properties were measured at the Argonne National Laboratory supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. The work at Drexel University was supported by NSF grant CMMI-0927963.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    I. Neitzel, V. Mochalin & Y. Gogotsi

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    J.A. Bares & R.W. Carpick

  3. Energy Systems Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA

    A. Erdemir

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  1. I. Neitzel
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Correspondence to Y. Gogotsi.

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Neitzel, I., Mochalin, V., Bares, J. et al. Tribological Properties of Nanodiamond-Epoxy Composites. Tribol Lett 47, 195–202 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-012-9978-8

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