Preparation and lubricating properties of poly(vinylidene-fluoride) particles wrapped by reduced graphene oxide

Graphene-based composites are good candidates for improving tribological performances. This study describes preparation process and mechanisms of poly (vinylidene-fluoride) (PVDF) particles wrapped by reduced graphene oxide (RGO) in a solution. Meanwhile, characterization techniques combining SEM, TGA, FT-IR, XRD, and XPS revealed reduction of PVDF diameters and successful integration between PVDF particles and RGO sheets. Tribological properties of RGO/PVDF nanocomposite as lubricating additive were investigated, and control experiments were performed by respectively adding PVDF, RGO as well as the mixture of PVDF and RGO. It is found that RGO/PVDF nanocomposite exhibits the best lubricating performances among all the samples and that the average friction coefficient as well as wear rate decreased by 44.4% and 98.7% compared with that of paraffin oil.