Improved tribological and thermo‐mechanical properties of epoxy resin with micro‐nano structured <scp>ZrO<sub>2</sub></scp>/<scp>Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub></scp> particles
Jie Yi, Yaru Yang, Yalin Zhang, Miao Cao, Tianle Wang, Jipeng Guan, Yunchao Xiao, Yuanjie Zhang, Bolin Tang, Xiaojun Shen
Abstract
Abstract Inherent brittleness and poor wear resistance of epoxy resin severely restricts its practical application in many applications. In this present, a micro‐nano structured ZrO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 particle was employed to improve the tribological and thermo‐mechanical properties of epoxy resin. The micro‐nano structured ZrO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 particles are synthesized by hydrothermal growth of nano‐ZrO 2 onto the surface of accordion‐like Ti 3 C 2 , and the ZrO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 /epoxy composites are fabricated by solution blending and curing reaction. The surface morphology of ZrO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 particles and the fracture surface of ZrO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 /epoxy composites were investigated. Test results indicated that the wear rate, storage modulus and glass transition temperature of epoxy resin is effectively improved by incorporation of ZrO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 particles, maybe ascribing to the strong interfacial interaction between micro‐nano structured ZrO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 and epoxy matrix. In addition, the wear mechanism of ZrO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 /epoxy composites were further revealed by analyzing their worn surfaces and wear debris. This work provides a promising strategy for improving the tribological and thermo‐mechanical properties of epoxy.