Surface Modified UHMWPE Particles by Direct Fluorination Blended with Polyurethane for Enhancing its Wear-Resistant Performance

In this study, Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles were surface treated by F2/N2 and F2/O2/N2 two direct fluorination routes. A great number of polar groups are grafted on the surface of UHMWPE particles after direct fluorination confirmed by FT-IR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization. Two kinds of surface modified UHMWPE particles were blended with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) by dissolving in solvent. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) demonstrates that the interfacial interaction degree between the two polymer phases is correlated with the chemical composition of a fluorinated surface layer. The TPU composite with the UHMWPE particle treated by F2/O2/N2 route obtains excellent tribological performance enhancement with significant decrease in wear loss, ranging from 192.9 mm3 to 97.8 mm3, about 49.3% reduction compared with the virgin TPU.