The present study investigates the influence of hygrothermal ageing on the tribological behaviour of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymer composites. Three PTFE composites along with unfilled PTFE were tested in sliding contact against Inconel 625 (a Ni-based alloy) plates in both dry and water-lubricated conditions, utilising a unidirectional pin-on-disc tribometer. The tribo-tests were performed at a constant sliding speed of 0.13 m/s with a normal load of 84N providing an apparent contact pressure of 5 MPa. Hygrothermal conditioning was carried out at two different temperatures, and the water absorption evolution and kinetic parameters were estimated. Various characterisation methods were used to identify the wear mechanisms and influence of hygrothermal ageing on the degradation of the filler/matrix. The different tribological behaviour for different PTFE composites was observed within the ageing timeframe. The wear resistance of the fibre-filled samples was reduced compared to the non-aged ones over the ageing timeframe. However, the friction and wear resistance of the bronze-filled PTFE were enhanced by hygrothermal ageing.

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a known to be the material of choice for bearing components in joint arthroplasty. However, oxidation wear of UHMWPE components is considered to be a major drawback limiting the lifespan of implants. Vitamin E was considered as a promising antioxidant to prevent long-term oxidation and reduce the wear degradation of UHMWPE material. Nevertheless, there are limited results on the improvements of vitamin E on the mechanical and thermal properties of UHMWPE. In this study, we investigated the incorporation of 0.5–3 wt.% carbon nanoparticles: Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs), Graphene (GO) and Nanodiamonds (ND) on the mechanical and thermal properties of UHMWPE blended vitamin E (UHMWPE-E). Surface analysis of the composite powders showed well-dispersed carbon nanoparticles within the UHMWPE-E matrix. Thermogravimetric (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were used to study the thermal behavior of the nanocomposites. It was found that the addition of GO, MWCNTs and ND improved the thermal stability of the nanocomposites compared to neat UHMWPE-E. However, the addition of carbon nanoparticles had no significant effect on the crystallization parameters of the composites. In addition, the incorporation of MWCNT and ND improved significantly the fracture toughness of the composites. The addition of 0.7 wt.% ND and 1 wt.% MWCNT increased the fracture toughness from 5.93 MPa m^1/2 for neat UHMWPE-E to 7.38 and 9.19 MPa m^1/2 respectively. The enhanced fracture toughness and thermal stability of the nanocomposites could be due to the successful powder processing technique where an optimized mixing and ball milling parameters were used.

In this study, newly developed hybrid composites with Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) as base polymer and Graphene Oxide (GO), Nano Diamonds (ND) and Short Carbon Fibres (SCF) as fillers were manufactured. The tribological performance of these composites in a water lubricated sliding contact and the effect of inclusion of the fillers on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were investigated. The resulting hybrid composite formed by using the fillers and the base polymer displayed low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. Compared to unfilled UHMWPE, composite with all the fillers incorporated had 21% smaller friction coefficient and 15% less wear.