Surface-modified carbon nanotubes and the effect of their addition on the tribological behavior of a polyurethane coating

The toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) treatment was used to bind isocyanate functional groups (OCN–) on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), after which the TDI modified MWCNTs and unmodified MWCNTs were added to the polyurethane (PU) to produce composite coatings with improved wear properties. When the modified MWCNTs were added to the PU binder, the grafting TDI can take part in the curing of the PU binder so that chemical bonding was established between the MWCNTs and the matrix. Friction and wear tests indicated that modified MWCNT reinforced PU composite coating has the highest coefficient of friction and the highest wear resistance of the examined composite coating. Furthermore, the effects of sliding speed and applied load on the friction and wear behavior of the PU coating filled with MWCNTs or MWCNTs-TDI were also studied. The results showed that the coefficient of friction decreased with increasing sliding speed and applied load, and the anti-wear behavior of the PU coating filled with MWCNTs-TDI was the best under 320 N at a speed of 3.0 m s−1.