Abstract
The effects of octadecylamine functionalised reduced graphene oxide (FRGO) on the frictional and wear properties of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy are studied using pin on disc tribometry. The nanocomposites are prepared by adding 0·1, 0·2, 0·5 and 1·0 wt-% of FRGO to the epoxy. The addition of FRGO increases by more than an order of magnitude the sliding distance during which the dynamic friction is ≤0·1. After this distance, the friction sharply increases to the range of 0·4–0·5. We explain the increase in sliding distance during which the friction is low by formation of a transfer film from the nanocomposite to the pin. The wear rates in the low and high friction regimes are ∼1·5×10−4 and 5·5×10−4 mm3 N−1 m−1 respectively. The nanocomposites exhibit a 79% increase in Young’s modulus with 0·5 wt-% of FRGO, and an increase in glass transition and thermal degradation temperatures.
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Acknowledgement
We thank B. Sharma for his help in obtaining the XPS results.