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Construction of biomimetic textures and modification of self-lubrication mechanisms on the surface of sulfonated polyether ether ketone films

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Abstract

Polymer-based self-lubricating materials are designed to improve the efficiency and reliability of mechanical systems, reducing energy consumption and material loss. Herein, inspired by the texture of the smooth leaf surface, the polyether ether ketone was first subjected to a sulfonation treatment before the plant texture was introduced to the surface of the sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) films. The optical microscopy results indicate the successful construction of different bionic textures on SPEEK film surface. Based on the reduction in the contact area between the friction pairs, and the accommodation of abrasive debris by the uneven bionic textures, the tribological performance of SPEEK films under dry friction conditions shows unique advantages. Additionally, the wear morphology and self-lubrication mechanism of bionic textured films were investigated by 3D profilometry, SEM, and XPS. The results show that under the effect of frictional heat and frictional force, the bionic texture morphology changes to fish scale, which reduces the resistance to friction, resulting in a lower friction coefficient and wear rate. This strategy of constructing bionic textures on functional polymer surfaces using a facile process provides a reference for exploring novel self-lubricating materials.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (52473334); the Youth Innovation Team of Shaanxi Universities (2023); Key Research and Development Plan of Shaanxi Province (2023-YBGY-429); and Open Fund of Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Green Manufacturing at Yantai (AMGM2024F06).

Funding

Funding for this study was obtained from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 52473334, by Xiaohua Jia, the Youth Innovation Team of Shaanxi Universities, 2023, by Haojie Song, the Key Research and Development Plan of Shaanxi Province, 2023-YBGY-429, by Haojie Song, and the Open Fund of Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Green Manufacturing at Yantai, AMGM2024F06, by Zhaofeng Wang.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Green Preparation and Functionalization for Inorganic Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an, 710021, People’s Republic of China

    Yong Qiu, Xiaohua Jia, Zhiqiang Shan, Ding Wang, Jin Yang & Haojie Song

  2. State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Zhaofeng Wang

  3. Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Green Manufacturing at Yantai, Yantai, 264006, China

    Zhaofeng Wang

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  1. Yong Qiu
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  2. Xiaohua Jia
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  3. Zhiqiang Shan
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  4. Ding Wang
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  5. Jin Yang
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  6. Zhaofeng Wang
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Contributions

Qiu Y contributed to measurements and part of the experiments, and discussed some questions; Jia X designed and conceived this work, and wrote this manuscript; Shan Z conducted part of the experiments and revised this manuscript; Wang D revised the grammar and provided corrections to this manuscript; Yang J carried out the SEM data acquisition and analysis; Wang Z systematically revised the article and provided some suggestions; Song H contributed to funding acquisition, part of the experimental data, and conceptualization.

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Correspondence to Xiaohua Jia or Haojie Song.

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Qiu, Y., Jia, X., Shan, Z. et al. Construction of biomimetic textures and modification of self-lubrication mechanisms on the surface of sulfonated polyether ether ketone films. J Mater Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-024-10202-9

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