Spectroscopic study of tribooxidation processes in modified PTFE

Abstract

The effect of layered silicates on the structure and performance characteristics of polytetrafluoroethylene is studied using IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, as well as tribological and physicomechanical testing. It has been shown that the filling of polytetrafluoroethylene with layered silicates leads to a substantial (up to 2500 times) decrease in its mass wear rate, while its strength characteristics remain similar to those of the original polymer. The use of IR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to study structural transformations that occur during the friction of the polymer composite materials with various compositions of fillers has revealed the formation of intermediate products in the course of the oxidative destruction of polytetrafluoroethylene.