Study of the tribological properties of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene modified with a Schiff base complex

A pin–disk tester and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to study the dry tribological properties of a new kind of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) modified with a Schiff base copper complex and a glycerol–polyethylene microencapsule that was paired with GCr15 steel. Results, using a relatively high sliding speed, showed the excellent dry tribological characteristics of the modified UHMWPE/steel rubbing pair compared with the pure UHMWPE/steel rubbing pair. The tribological behavior of the former could be explained by the mechanism of self-selective transfer while that of the latter could be explained by the normal theory of plastic tribology. Results suggested that the modified UHMWPE could be used in dry friction conditions with a relatively high sliding velocity, in situations where the traditional plastic failed to operate correctly.