Zhou Z, Wang X, Li X, Liu C, Li G, Luo Y. Tribological and Mechanical Applications of Liquid-Crystal-Polymer-Modified Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polyamide-Polyurethane Composites.
Polymers (Basel) 2023;
15:polym15092033. [PMID:
37177180 PMCID:
PMC10180986 DOI:
10.3390/polym15092033]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
An aromatic copolyester liquid crystal polymer (LCP) was introduced into carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide-polyurethane (CF/PA-PU) composites through melt blending to improve the tribological properties of the composites. The effects of LCP on the mechanical, processing, and thermal properties of CF/PA-PU composites were compared to those of commonly-used graphite (Gr). The results showed that at 5 wt.% LCP content, the coefficient of friction (COF) was decreased by 16.06%, and the wear rate by 32.22% in the LCP/CF/PA-PU composite compared to the CF/PA-PU composite. Furthermore, using LCP instead of Gr showed significantly improved mechanical properties and reduced processing viscosity. The tensile strength of 5%LCP/CF/PA-PU composite could reach 99.08 MPa, while the equilibrium torque was reduced, being 26.85% higher and 18.37% lower than those of CF/PA-PU composite, respectively. The thermal stability of LCP/CF/PA-PU composites was also enhanced. The addition of 5 wt.% LCP to CF/PA-PU composite increased the initial decomposition temperature by 14.19% compared to CF/PA-PU. In sharp contrast, the addition of Gr increased equilibrium torque and actual processing temperature leading to processing difficulties and instability. This approach offers a novel strategy for tribological applications and tackles the problem of high viscosity in CF/PA-PU composites.
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