Composite Material Based on Polytetrafluoroethylene and Al–Cu–Fe Quasi-Crystal Filler with Ultralow Wear: Morphology, Tribological, and Mechanical Properties

Abstract

Samples of composites with polytetrafluoroethylene as the matrix and a powder of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 vol % Al–Cu–Fe quasi-crystal as the filler are prepared. Electron microscopy studies of the sample structure are carried out, the influence of the filler on the degree of crystallinity and the melting and destruction temperatures of the samples is investigated; mechanical tensile tests and tribological tests are performed. The composite samples with filler contents of 4, 8, 16, and 32 vol % show ultralow wear with the coefficient K < 5 × 10^–7 mm³/N m. The highest wear resistance exceeding that of unfilled polytetrafluoroethylene by 2200–3100 times is recorded in composites with 16 vol % filler. An increase in the wear resistance is associated with formation on the friction surface of a thin crust containing quasi-crystal particles 0.2–0.3 μm in size, revealed by scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive analysis.