An investigation into tribological behaviour of multi-walled carbon nanotube/graphene oxide reinforced UHMWPE in water lubricated contacts

In this study, the influence of incorporation of carbon based nano fillers, namely multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide on the tribological behaviour of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene was investigated in water lubricated sliding contacts. Further investigations were carried out to study the influence of γ-irradiation and hygrothermal aging on the friction and wear response of the polymeric materials. It was found that regardless of the treatment, GO/MWNT reinforced composites consistently exhibited a lower friction and higher wear resistance in comparison to the unfilled UHMWPE. This was mainly attributed to the lubricating action of the carbonaceous nano fillers in water lubricated sliding contacts.