Graphene stripping, a convenient and environmentally friendly technology for the preparation of polyurethane/graphene nanocomposites as a new type of highly wear‐resistant materials

Abstract

Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) has excellent wear resistance properties. Graphene can further improve the friction and wear performance of TPU. However, the agglomeration of graphene in the matrix is still a serious problem. In this study, the solid‐state shear milling technology (S3M) was used to prepare the composite material with graphene stripped and dispersed in TPU. It was found that the graphene sheets were uniformly distributed in the polyurethane matrix, and the thickness of the graphene sheets was reduced from 40 to 2 nm. The mechanical strength increased from 18.4 to 23.3 MPa, an increase of 30%, and under the same conditions, the friction coefficient is reduced from 0.7 to 0.5, and the wear rate is reduced from 10.73% to 0.62%. From these results, the additive dispersion effect of silicone oil and liquid paraffin in the composite material was also investigated. The results showed that the friction coefficient was reduced from 2.0 to 1.0 because of the good lubricating effect of liquid paraffin, whereas silicone oil aggravated the agglomeration phenomenon of graphene and worsened the friction and wear properties.