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The composites with high thermal conductivity (TC) have attracted extensive attention in thermal management fields. Incorporating a three dimensional (3D) thermal transport framework in polymer is one of the most effective ways to improve the TC of composites. However, most micro-zone of those 3D thermal transport framework is filled with polymers with very low TC, leading to limited TC improvement of polymer composites. Herein we presented a novel 3D boron nitride (BN)/nickel foam (NF)/epoxy (EP) composite with high TC. Results indicated that as a good reinforced filler with high TC, BN was homogeneously dispersed in epoxy and fully filled into 3D NF micro-zone to get obvious TC increase of the BN/NF/EP composites. With the micro-zone enhancement strategy, the prepared BN/NF/EP-50 composite demonstrated excellent thermal conductive property. The obtained TC (5.14 W m−1 K−1) is approximately 24 and 5 times higher than that of epoxy and NF/EP composite, respectively. This research potentially provides a unique way to design and fabricate high TC 3D materials with the micro-zone enhancement strategy.

CeO2 was used as the only oxidant for aniline polymerization, and polyaniline (PANI) was grown on CeO2 surface to form CeO2@PANI nanocomposites. SEM and TEM showed that the CeO2@PANI composites were nanorods in a core-shell structure. XPS indicated that CeO2-core was reduced by aniline into Ce3+, which was then captured by the PANI-shell. Then the passive ability of CeO2@PANI coating on steels was explored. EIS showed that the impedance modulus of the CeO2@PANI coating exceeded 108 Ω·cm2 after accelerated immersion. The SVET and XPS confirmed that PANI polarized the anodic reaction, Ce3+ suppressed the cathodic reaction, and PO43- formed complex precipitation. Some high-valent metal oxides can directly oxidize the aniline polymerization to form MO@PANI hybrid particles. The cations obtained by the metal oxide reduction can be captured by PANI and participate in passivation together with dopants. This study provides a new kind of nanocomposite fillers that can effectively passivate steel substrates within epoxy coatings for long-time protection.

Improving the heat dissipation efficiency of electronic products is the key to the design of many modern electronic and mechanical systems. Herein, we combined the 3D network fabricating with the way of micron-nano reinforcement to prepare high thermal conductivity and excellent thermal stability composites. Epoxy resin was used as the matrix, while the silicon carbide foam (f-SiC) as skeleton and the BN/nano-SiC as thermally conductive fillers. The thermal conductivity of the EP/f-SiC/BN/nano-SiC composite reaches 3.5 W·m− 1·K− 1, which is about 16.6 times higher than that of pure epoxy resin. The characterization results of TC and infrared thermography images indicate that the EP/f-SiC/BN/nano-SiC composite possess superior heat transport performance. Meantime, the EP/f-SiC/BN/nano-SiC composite have excellent thermal stability, the THRI of EP/f-SiC/BN/nano-SiC reaches 195.8℃, which is 21.3℃ higher than that of pure EP. This work would provide a new strategy for improving the TC of polymers by using other 3D skeletons and micron-nano fillers, and is conducive to the development of high thermal conductivity and excellent thermal stability materials.

Single-stage oil/water separation membranes usually suffer from weak chemical stability, susceptible mechanical damage and relatively low permeating flux, and the sophisticated preparation processes also limit their massive utilization. In this work, Cu(OH)2 nanoneedles coated copper mesh (CM) is prepared by simple and eco-friendly anodic oxidation at a current density of 4 mA/cm2 for 6 min, which is the most efficient route reported so far. The mesh exhibits outstanding superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity towards various oils with contact angles up to 164.9°, achieving superior oil/water separation efficiency of above 99.5% and ultrahigh permeating flux of 191 160 L·m−2h−1 solely driven by gravity. Impressively, the Cu(OH)2/CM demonstrates excellent chemical stability and anti-fouling performance when exposed to acidic and strongly alkaline solutions, saturated NaCl solution and various organic solvents. High durability to withstand mechanical challenges, e.g. high-power sonication and sand abrasion, is experimentally confirmed owing to strong cohesional strength of Cu(OH)2 nanoneedles on CM surface. Importantly, the Cu(OH)2/CM exhibits favorable long-term recyclability with stable microstructure morphologies even after 50 cycles. These distinct advantages endow the Cu(OH)2/CM to be an ideal candidate to efficiently separate oil pollutants from water. The oil/water separation mechanisms are proposed based on the concept of intrusion pressure.

Superhydrophobic surfaces with special wettability have a promising potential for self-cleaning, anti-fouling, and anti-corrosion applications. However, the practical applications of superhydrophobic coatings are currently limited by their poor mechanical strength and hydrophobic durability. Here, we report a superhydrophobic epoxy (EP) composite coating with improved durability, achieved by a dual interfacial enhancement. First, melt extrusion technology was used to enhance the bonding force between EP and polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE). Then, combining dopamine self-polymerization and sol-gel approaches, the interfacial strength between graphene-polydopamine (GP) and SiO2 was enhanced by in-situ growth of SiO2 on the GP surface. After modification with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS), the superhydrophobic EP-PTFE/GP-SiO2-POTS coating (WCA = 156.3 ± 1.5°, WSA = 3.5 ± 0.5°) was successfully prepared on a steel surface by electrostatic spraying. With the enhanced interfacial strength, the prepared composite coating demonstrated excellent mechanical performance, and could withstand 105 abrasion cycles with only 54.4 mg weight loss. Moreover, due to the induction effect of graphene, a special multilayered nano-micro-nano structure was formed by the evenly distributed nano-SiO2 particles on the coating surface, which is beneficial to extend its superhydrophobic duration. The prepared coating can maintain its superhydrophobicity even after being scratched or immersed in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for 60 days. Therefore, the prepared superhydrophobic coating demonstrates great potential for application in anti-fouling, drag reduction, and other fields.

In this paper, a versatile low-cost and simple spraying process was reported for fabricating epoxy resin (EP)/fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)/modified ZnO (m-ZnO) superhydrophobic coating (EP/FEP/m-ZnO). The ZnO nanoparticles were modified by the low surface-energy material of stearic acid, and the pore-forming agent (NH4HCO3) was used to build micro/nano-structures. Results showed that the composite coating with 32 wt.% of m-ZnO, 5 wt.% of NH4HCO3 exhibits the optimum superhydrophobicity, with water contact angle (WCA) of 160° and sliding angle of 2°. More importantly, the WCA of the as-prepared composite coating still maintains more than 130° under strong acid or 3.5 wt.% NaCl aqueous solution for 270 h immersion, which demonstrates the excellent anti-corrosive performance of EP/FEP/m-ZnO superhydrophobic coating. The WCA of the EP/FEP/m-ZnO coating still kept 136° and only gained weight loss of 1.04% after being rubbed with 300 cycles, and the weight loss of EP/FEP coating is 18.85% under the same condition. All the above aspects are the direct evidences for the highest wear resistance of EP/FEP/m-ZnO superhydrophobic coating. Furthermore, the adhesive ability of the EP/FEP/m-ZnO composite coating was satisfied with the requirements of Grade 1, that standing for strong adhesion between the coating and substrate. Simultaneously, the soil and fly ash could be easily cleaned from the surface of superhydrophobic coating with flowing droplets, that showing unique self-cleaning property. Furthermore, the EP/FEP/m-ZnO superhydrophobic coating has excellent anti-corrosion performance. It is believed that the nano/micro structure formed by the inorganic filler m-ZnO and pore-forming agent of NH4HCO3 plays an important role. The suitable magnitude of pores has a positive meaning on fabricating the EP/FEP/m-ZnO superhydrophobic coating. The multifunctional coating has a high application value in condition of wear resistance, self-cleaning and anticorrosion, this facile and economic method may offer an effective strategy for surface and interface science and even industrial production.

A multifunctional super-hydrophobic polyethersulfone (PES)/1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS)/MoS2–polydopamine (PDA)–TiO2 coating was fabricated by a simple spraying method that involved two consecutive steps of dopamine (DA) self-polymerization on MoS2 sheet surface and in situ growth of TiO2 nano-particles. The coating possessed super-hydrophobicity with the water contact angle (WCA) of 159 ± 2° and excellent self-cleaning property. Remarkable mechanical stability was obtained with original super-hydrophobicity even after 10,000 abrasion cycles of damage under the load of 50 KPa. It also retained high WCA of 150° after exposure to strong acids (HCl, pH = 1) and bases (NaOH, pH = 14) for at least 30 h. Compared with the uncoated aluminum substrate, the corrosion resistance of the coating was significantly enhanced with lower corrosion current density of 2.7 × 10−9 A/cm2 and higher corrosion potential of −41 mV after immersion in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for 15 days. All these results suggest the super-hydrophobic PES/POTS/MoS2–PDA–TiO2 coating exhibits great potential as a functional surface in a wide range of practical applications.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), as a carrier of diethylenetriaminepenta(methylphosphonic acid) (DTPMPA), combining with flake zinc and PVDF powders, were used to fabricate a novel organosilicon epoxy resin-based (EP) composite coating (EP/iDCNTs/Zn/PVDF) for antiscaling and anti-corrosion purposes. Compared with EP coating, the EP/iDCNTs/Zn/PVDF composite coating exhibited unique antiscaling properties with the CaCO3 deposition on the coating surface decreased by 81.6%. It was mainly because the coating surface contains DTPMPA, and Zn2+released by corrosion of Zn powder, which jointly inhibited the deposition behavior of CaCO3. Meanwhile, the fabricated composite coating hardly adhered by CaCO3 crystals which was due to its higher hydrophobicity. Moreover, anti-corrosion tests proved that the prepared composite coating's impedance modulus was about 2 orders higher than that of the EP coating. This was ascribed to the improving shielding effect of fillers and high hydrophobicity of coating, preventing the water and oxygen molecules from penetrating into the composite coating.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising high-performance lubricants with remarkable lubrication and antiwear capabilities in tribology. In this article, first solid-state (at room temperature) IL-incorpo...

As one of the most promising methods for H2O2 production, H2O2 electroproduction has received increasingly more attention. In this study, a spherical particle polydopamine (pDA) modified carbon felt (noted as ht-pDA/ACF) for H2O2 production was fabricated. At a constant potential of 2.0 V and pH of 1.0, the H2O2 production of the ht-pDA/ACF cathode reached 220 mg/L after 6 h of electrolyzing, compared to the 30 mg/L H2O2 production of raw carbon felt. Firstly, the spherical pDA exposes more active sites that are favorable to the 2e− ORR compared to pDA film. Secondly, the ring cleavage and re-cyclization of indole structure in the pDA during electrolyzing could form the radicals that act as the intermediate to the H2O2 formation. This research exhibits a low-cost method to modify carbon materials for effective H2O2 electroproduction. The ht-pDA/ACF cathode is promising for green H2O2 production and wastewater treatment.

Polymer-based composites with efficient thermal energy dissipation performance can be prospectively applied in electronics and military industry. However, significantly improving the thermal conductivity (TC) of polymer-based composites is still challenging. Herein, 3D sulfanilamide-modified expanded graphite/epoxy (EG-SA/EP) composites with interconnected filler network were successfully prepared by a pre-filling and hot-pressing method. Benefiting from the interconnected network, the composite with 70 wt% EG-SA demonstrated ultrahigh bulk TC of 98 W/m·K (which exceeds some commercially-used metals) and up to 44,445% TC enhancement efficiency. Meanwhile, the EG-SA/EP composites exhibited excellent electromagnetic interference shielding performance of 85 dB (which is sufficient to block 99.9999997% of incident radiation), high electric conductivity of 7153 S/m and excellent thermal infrared response capability (the time to raise surface temperature from 19 to 82 °C is only 3 s). As for the mechanism of heat transfer, the 3D structure of EG-SA maintained through epoxy pre-filling in EG-SA is the main reason for the significantly improved TC. This is because the new method enables EG-SA to build a unique dense interconnected network in composites in the subsequent hot-pressing process, but the traditional direct mixing method easily destroys the inherent micro-3D structure of EG. The above excellent performances endow the EG-SA/EP composites with huge potential application value.

Waterborne coating is eco-friendly, but exhibits limited anti-corrosion performance. Graphene is an ultrahigh anti-corrosion material for its perfect impermeability. Unfortunately, graphene tends to aggregate and randomly align in waterborne resin to form conductive network to accelerate corrosion. Herein, N-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) modified graphene (N-CQDs@Gr) was prepared via π-π interactions between N-CQDs and graphene, stably dispersing in water over 90 days and showing good dispersibility and compatibility in waterborne resin. Meanwhile, we designed a spin coating method and successfully fabricated orientated N-CQDs@Gr/waterborne epoxy (N-CQDs@Gr/WEP) coating, which exhibited long-term anti-corrosion performance. The impedance modulus of N-CQDs@Gr/WEP coating was about 200 times higher than that of waterborne epoxy (WEP) coating after 90 days of immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution and still remained above 109 ohm cm2 after 260 days of immersion. The coating also exhibited outstanding corrosion resistance under harsh oxygen environment. After 10 days of immersion in harsh oxygen environment, the coating still protected the metal well, and the impedance modulus of the coating was still maintained above 1010 ohm cm2 which was about three orders of magnitude higher than that of WEP coating. The excellent anti-corrosion performance of N-CQDs@Gr/WEP coating was interpreted as the reinforced interface bonding force, the orientation of graphene and the protective film covering metal surface. The orientation of graphene maximized the barrier effect of graphene and avoided the formation of graphene conductive network. The protective film formed in normal environment was mainly N-CQD@Fe3+ complex film, whereas in harsh oxygen environment was mainly passive film.

Reasonable design, preparation and application of highly effective fillers are the main challenges to significantly improve the protective performance of coatings. Herein, based on the EP coating, polyfluoroaniline@sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate‑cerium dioxide-montmorillonite (FA@SD-CeO2-MMT) filler was elaborately designed. Due to the integral anti-corrosion system, the impedance value of FA@SD-CeO2-MMT/EP remained 1.02 × 1011 Ω cm2 after 90 d immersion of 3.5% NaCl. And the multi-interactions among MMT, FA@SD and CeO2 form a trinity anti-corrosion system of passivation, hydrophobic shielding and cathodic protection, which significantly improve the anti-corrosion performance of EP coatings.

This work presents the preparation of durable superhydrophobic polyethersulfone (PES) composite coating with large water contact angle of 157.2 ± 1.3° and small sliding angle of 3 ± 0.5°. The interface bonding force between PES and SiO2 nanoparticles was enhanced through the dopamine self-polymerization on the surfaces of PES particles during the sol-gel process. After surface modification with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS), superhydrophobic PES-PDA-SiO2-POTS coating was easily prepared by a simple one-step spraying method with less than 2.6 wt% SiO2. The dosage of nanoparticles to establish micro/nano structures for superhydrophobic coating was much less than the previously reported, which is beneficial to improve the interface bonding force between PES and SiO2. The prepared coating can still remain superhydrophobicity even after 84 h of immersion in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The durable superhydrophobicity was mainly attributed to the litchi-like structure that trapped more air to effectively prevent water infiltration. Combined with the high interface bonding force of PES-SiO2 and the low concentration of SiO2, the adhesive ability of the coatings accorded with Grade 0 of GB/T9286, which represented the best adhesive strength. In addition, the wear life of the PES-PDA-SiO2-POTS coating was prolonged to 8 times than that of PES/SiO2/POTS coating. Potentiodynamic polarization plots indicated that the coating had great corrosion resistance, low corrosion current density of 9 × 10−9 A/cm2 and high corrosion protection effect of 99.99%. The superhydrophobic PES-PDA-SiO2-POTS coating can be also highly applied on different substrates. It is believed the PES-PDA-SiO2-POTS coating may have great potential for large-scale applications.

Novel lypohydrophilic porous fillers that can function as micro-reservoirs to store lubricating oil as a low-friction and anticorrosive agent in a composite coating were developed. The novel oily particles were added to an epoxy resin (EP)-based coating to study the effect of lubricating oil on the anti-corrosion and the low-friction performance of the coating. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the sliding wear tests demonstrated that the oily particles can significantly improve the barrier property and the wear-resisting performance of the EP coating. Furthermore, the friction coefficient of epoxy resin-25% lubricating celatom coating (0.4) was lower than that of the epoxy resin-25% PVDF coating (0.55), and the wear rate was lower by a factor of eight. The enhanced wear resistance can be mainly attributed to the lubrication performance of the lubricating oil stored in the porous particles. In addition, the hydroxyl group on the porous particles enhanced the crosslinking with the epoxy resin.

Superhydrophobic polysulfone (PSU)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nanocomposite coating with biomimetic golden spherical cactus surface structure (with micro-sphere and nano-thorns) was fabricated by electrostatic powder-spraying method. The superhydrophobic PSU-CNTs-FEP nanocomposite (PCFn) coating can be applied to different substrates such as aluminum plate, steel plate, glass plate, and steel pipe, which exhibited a maximum water contact angle all beyond 164 ± 1.5° and low slide angle of less than 5 ± 0.5°. The morphology, chemical composition and spherical cactus structure formation of the coatings were investigated. The electrostatic spraying and micro-phase separation promise a synergistic effect on promoting the superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning and high durability of PCFn coating. Moreover, the PCFn coating demonstrated unique multiple anti-corrosion effects, providing with air bubble corrosion protection, physical shielding and decreasing interfacial electronic agglomeration effect, which promises the wide applicability of the PCFn coatings in different engineering processes.

We herein report the development of carbon-modified porous fillers that function as micro-reservoirs to store lubricating oil as a low-friction and anticorrosive agent in a composite coating. These novel oily particles were added to an epoxy resin (EP)-based coating to study the effect of a lubricating oil on the anti-corrosion and friction performances of the coating. Analysis by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and sliding wear tests demonstrated that the presence of particles containing the lubricating oil significantly improved the barrier properties and the wear resistance of the EP coating. It was therefore apparent that the carbon surface modification of the Celatom filler improved the compatibility of both the filler towards the resin. Thus, the addition of fillers containing lubricating oil further improved the wear resistance and anti-corrosion properties of the coatings.

A sturdy self-cleaning and anticorrosion superhydrophobic coating based on poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) matrix has been successfully fabricated by combination of sol-gel and spraying technology without using any fluorine materials. The prepared coating possessed excellent superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle (WCA) (161 ± 1.2)° and slide angle (SA) (2 ± 1.5)°, which was ascribed to the synergistic effect of low-surface energy material amino silicon oil (ASO) and the binary potassium titanate whisker-silica (PTW-SiO2) composite particles formed by in-situ growth of SiO2 on modified PTW via sol-gel. Moreover, The PPS/ASO/PTW-SiO2 superhydrophobic coating exhibited decent self-cleaning property with clean surface even after 100 times immersion in muddy solution. The abrasion test demonstrated that the mechanical stability of prepared coating was about 2 times of the pure PPS coating. Simultaneously, the potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy testified the excellent corrosion resistance of prepared coating with the performance of lower corrosion current (1.289 × 10−10 A/cm2) and high protection efficiency (99.999%) even after immersion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution for 28 days. It is believed that this sturdy self-cleaning and anti-corrosion superhydrophobic coating might have a promising application prospect in industry.

The polydopamine (PDA) coating was used to modify the surface of the PbO2/TiO2 nanotube arrays (PTNAs) by impregnation method. The obtained PDA-PbO2/TiO2 nanotube arrays (PPTNAs) coating exhibited a sandwich structure and used as anode for photoelectrochemical degradation of toluene. Generally, due to the symmetric structure and conjugation of methyl with benzene ring, the degradation of toluene was difficult to carry on. Our results show that the rate of toluene degradation can reach up to 66% at the surface of PPTNAs coating anode, it is much higher than that of the TiO2 nanotube arrays coating anode, 17%. The reduction product at cathode, hydrogen, was also measured, which is one of the valuable source of energy. In the coupled effect of applied voltage and photocatalysis on the PPTNAs anode, the degradation of toluene was carried out smoothly. The introduction of lead dioxide nanoparticles on the coated anode possessed favorable electronic conductivity in strong acid, which is benefit for a high rate of electrons transportation at the interface of TiO2 and lead dioxide. The excellent corrosion resistance of PPTNAs coating further ensured the effective degradation of toluene with long-term stability. Meanwhile, the unique adhesion of the outer PDA coating increased the contact opportunities between toluene molecules and the anode surface, and enhanced the photocatalytic activity of the PPTNAs coating anode. The applied voltage suppressed the recombination of electron-hole pairs and provided abundant reaction sites. All of these increased the photo-electro catalysis of toluene degradation. The new fabricated anode material shows good prospective application of cleaning up refractory pollutants and the resource utilization.

Tung oil-loaded microcapsules with the protection of Poly(urea-formaldehyde) (PUF) shells were prepared by in-situ polymerization method. Microcapsules keep the spherical shape with core content of more than 80.0 wt%. The average diameter was approximately 105 μm. Microcapsules exhibit excellent thermal stability. Dual-functional coatings were prepared by incorporating tung oil-loaded microcapsules into epoxy. Self-healing and self-lubricating function of coatings were realized by the releasing of tung oil from microcapsules under the scarp or wear condition. Tung oil has excellent film-forming property when they contact with oxygen. self-healing anti-corrosion and self-lubricating anti-wear properties were evaluated by salt-immersed corrosion tests and wear tests. Results demonstrated the coatings have an excellent corrosion resistance performance, the corrosion resistance get better as the increasing of microcapsules content. Besides, epoxy coatings demonstrated a favorable self-lubricating performance with the add of microcapsules. The friction coefficient and wear rate were the lowest at the microcapsules content of 10 wt%, there were 17.3% and 78.6% decrease respectively compared to the pure epoxy. The self-healing and self-lubricating mechanism were also discussed.

Owing to the rapid development of highly integrated electronic devices, research on reliable and efficient Thermal interface materials (TIMs) has promising prospects. Boron nitride (BN) is regarded as an excellent functional filler due to its high in-plane thermal conductivity and low cost. However, the fabrication of highly thermally conductive polymer-based composites with multifunctional properties remains challenging. Presented here is an efficient and scalable technique to realize the robust neuron-like microstructure network with oriented BN platelets formed in Polyethersulfone (PES) and Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) based composites. The neuron-like microstructure, with well-developed synapses, guarantee effective thermal pathways and robust interface interaction under complex conditions. The oriented BN layer in the composite ensures a high thermal conductivity of 12.13 W m−1 K−1, indicating a thermal enhancement efficiency of 156.6% per 1 vol% filler compared to the polymer-based matrix. Combined with outstanding electrical resistivity over 1015 Ω·cm and superior usage stability over 120 °C, the composite also exhibits superior performance in application tests in the mobile communication system and laptop chip cooling module making it promising in the intelligent robot industry and advanced electronic packaging field.

Owing to the increasing power density of miniaturized and high-frequency electronic devices, flexible thermal interface materials (TIMs) with the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding property are in urgent demand to maintain the system performance and reliability. Recently, carbon-based TIMs receive considerable attention due to the ultrahigh intrinsic thermal conductivity (TC). However, the large-scale production of such TIMs is restricted by some technical difficulties, such as production-induced defects of graphite sheets, poor microstructure architecture within the matrix, and nonnegligible interfacial thermal resistance result from the strong phono scattering. In this work, inspired by the structure and production process of millefeuille cakes, a unique double self-assembly strategy for fabricating ultrahigh thermal conductive TIMs with superior EMI shielding performance is demonstrated. The percolating and oriented multilayered microstructure enables the TIM to exhibit an ultrahigh in-plane TC of 233.67 W m-1 K-1 together with an outstanding EMI shielding effectiveness of 79.0 dB (at 12.4 GHz). In the TIM evaluation system, a nearly 45 °C decrease is obtained by this TIM when compared to the commercial material. The obtained TIM achieves the desired balance between thermal conduction and EMI shielding performance, indicating broad prospects in the fields of military applications and next-generation thermal management systems.

Highly thermo-conductive polymer-based composites have attracted extensive attention in the field of electronic and heat exchange. However, it is still challenging to obtain a favorable thermal conductivity enhancement at low filler loading by directly using commercial fillers. Here, a lightweight and mechanically strong 3D hexagonal boron nitride (BN) network is prepared using BN as basic assembly unit. The prepared 3D framework displays a sponge-like structure in which the BN microplates act as a skeleton and poly (ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) act as adhesive. Afterward, epoxy resin is then infiltrated into the 3D BN skeleton to manufacture the composites with the assistance of vacuum planetary stirring. High thermal conductivity of 1.85 W m−1 K−1 is achieved at low BN loading of 16.8 vol%, which is equivalent to a thermal conductivity enhancement of 820% in comparison with pure epoxy resin. The prepared epoxy composites possess excellent thermal management capabilities, showing large potential applications in advanced electronic devices.

Lubricant oil-filled polysulfone/SiO2 (PSF/SiO2) hybrid shell microcapsules are prepared by the combination of Pickering emulsification and the solvent evaporation technique. Silica particles are used as stabilizers. The structure and properties of the microcapsules are influenced by the silica particle concentration, agitation speed, and encapsulation temperature. The formation of PSF/SiO2 hybrid microcapsules is confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The resulting microcapsules prepared at the optimum synthetic parameters show spherical, ideal structure with a rough outer surface, mean diameter of 5.0±0.6 μm, shell thickness of 0.83 μm, core content of 50.5wt.% and excellent thermal stability with an initial evaporating temperature of 250℃. The synthesized microcapsules are embedded into epoxy for application in self-lubricating composites. Investigated by friction and wear tests, the tribological propertie...

In this work, a novel bistratal gas layer structure has been used to enhance the long-term durability of a superhydrophobic surface. The design of this bistratal structure takes inspiration from the wings of the insect Notonecta glauca and a spider web. It is comprised of an underlying semi-interpenetrating array structure and a superficial microfiber network structure. On modification with 1 H ,1 H ,2 H ,2 H -perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS), the prepared surface demonstrates an excellent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle (WCA) of 168 ± 1.4° and a sliding angle (SA) of 4 ± 0.5°. The underlying semi-interpenetrating array structure can capture more gas to form a stable underlying gas layer, which enhances its anti-static pressure capability. When the superhydrophobic surface was impacted by a high-pressure water column (250 kPa), the superficial micro fibers network structure acted as a buffer layer to disperse the impact force that spread over the network. The prepared surface with bistratal gas layer structure was thus able to high speed water jetting (22.4 m s −1 ), which is three times the speed of the heavy rain (7–9 m s −1 ) and four times that reported for polysiloxane/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (POS/MWCNTs) surfaces (5.4 m s −1 ). Furthermore, the superhydrophobic surface designed by this method was also shown to possess self-healing and hot-water-repellent (100 °C) capability. These features demonstrate the practical potential of superhydrophobic surfaces with a bistratal gas layer structure.

A simple spraying method was used for fabricating stability and wear-resistance fluorine-free superhydrophobic coatings by introducing the silicone rubber (SR) particles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) matrix. When the weight content of PPS:SR:CNTs = 0.7:0.3:0.015, the water contact angle (WCA) and the slide angle (SA) of the prepared coating were (164 ± 1.5)° and (1 ± 0.8)°, respectively. The WCA of the prepared coating also possessed good durability, which could maintain (141 ± 1)° after 10,000 times of abrasion. It was mainly ascribed to the internal micro/nano-structure designed by combining SR particles with CNTs and low surface free energy groups Si-CH3 of SR. Moreover, the prepared coating exhibited excellent wear resistance, which was 2 times higher than pure PPS coating. The adhesive ability of the prepared coating corresponded with Grade 4 according to ASTM D3359 due to the synergy of SR particles and CNTs. The test results of thermogravimetric (TG) indicated the outstanding thermal stability of the prepared coating with weight loss less than 10% under 478 °C. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of the aluminum could be effectively enhanced by the prepared superhydrophobic coating with performance of higher corrosion potential −756.69 mV and lower corrosion current 4.97 × 10−8 A/m2 after 15 days immersion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Therefore, it is believed that the prepared coating with excellent thermal-stability, wear-resistance and corrosion-resistance might have a huge potential in large-scale industrial application.

Foam-based material with unique wettability is one of the promising materials for developing oil-spill cleanup, benefiting from its intrinsic interconnected three-dimensional skeleton, oil permeation and water repellency. However, obtaining a foam-based material capable of in situ separating oil spills, especially with superhydrophobic durability and simple recycling mode, remains challenging. Herein, we reported a one-step spraying approach to fabricate fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/ultrafine polyurethane (UPU)/hydrophobic nanosilica (HSiO 2 )-decorated nickel foam coating with a static water contact angle (WCA) of 157 ± 1.5° and a static oil contact angle (OCA) of 0°. Owing to the foldability of the coated nickel foam, we established a continuous in-situ collection apparatus by external pumping on 3D nickel foam box. UPU addition endowed the resultant 3D nickel foam with excellent interfacial adhesion. After 7 days of continuous oil-water experiment that simulated cleanup oil-spill, the static WCA of the 3D nickel foam with 10 wt% UPU was still above 130°. Notablely, after heat treatment at 240 °C, the fabricated 3D nickel foam coating could be refreshed from the damaged surface to superhydrophobic.

A novel electrochemical technique had been introduced to prepare nanocrystalline superamphiphobic coatings inside of narrow pipes of significant length. The axially propagated ultrasound was utilized to ensure the scaling-up potential of this technique. The coating had strong mechanical strength, durability in low/high pH solutions and the potential of controlling its thickness while preserving a stable nonwetting performance. In addition, the properties of anti-scaling and drag reduction under the flowing circumstance had been demonstrated. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 3636–3641, 2017

Polysulfone microcapsules containing tung oil were synthesized by a solvent evaporation method. The mean diameter and wall thickness of the synthesized microcapsules were approximately 130 μm and 9 μm, respectively. High thermal stability of the microcapsules with a thermal degradation onset temperature of 350 °C was obtained. The multi-functional coating was fabricated by incorporating the microcapsules containing tung oil into an epoxy matrix. The self-healing and self-lubricating functions were evaluated by corrosion and tribology test. 10 wt% microcapsules embedded in epoxy coating offered optimum results. The microcapsules showed excellent anticorrosion performance in scratched coatings, which was attributed to the formation of a cross-linked polymer film after tung oil was released from the damaged microcapsules. The frictional coefficient and wear rate of the self-lubricating coating decreased significantly as compared to the neat epoxy. The formation of a transfer film from releasing tung oil and the entrapment of wear particles in the cavities left by the ruptured microcapsules were the major antifriction mechanism.

Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube film on a titanium foil was prepared by an anodization process. Then, the anatase–rutile hybrid crystal TiO2 materials fabricated at 700 °C were used as an anode for electrochemical synthesis of benzoic acid from toluene. At this anode, the highest yield of benzoic acid at ambient temperature is 27.5%, but it rises to 32.8% at 90 °C with a toluene conversion rate of 49.1%. The yield is increased mainly due to the hybrid crystal of the novel anode, and the formation of carbonized TiO2 nanotube surface at the Ti substrate together facilitates the charge transfer and induces a significant enhancement in the anode reactivity. Moreover, the effects of calcination temperature on the morphology, structures and crystallization of the TiO2 nanotubes were discussed in detail. A synergistic effect of electric field, visible light irradiation, and temperature for benzoic acid synthesis at the anatase–rutile hybrid crystal TiO2 was discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first study about the use of the carbonized anatase–rutile hybrid TiO2 nanotube films electrode in benzoic acid synthesis under the coupling fields. This study provides new insights into high-performance metal oxide electrode materials for organic synthesis.

This study investigated the tribological behaviors of carbon fiber (CF) reinforced epoxy (EP) composites immersed in 10 wt% sulfuric acid solution for different numbers of days. The tribological properties of the composites were evaluated as a function of their different fiber orientations (0°, 45°, 90°, and normal orientation). The CF/EP composites showed a favorable anticorrosion performance, as assessed by electrochemical corrosion tests, due to the tightly stacked CF. Meanwhile, the wear tests indicated that the CF orientation had a significant effect on the tribological performance. Composites with 45° CF orientation exhibited the lowest friction coefficient, whereas those with 90° CF orientation had lowest wear rate, which was 6 times lower than that of composites with normal CF orientation. Moreover, the surface microstructures of the worn surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine the corresponding wear mechanisms.

A durable fluorine-free polyethersulfone (PES) superhydrophobic composite coating with excellent wear-resistant and anti-corrosion properties has been successfully fabricated by combining sol-gel and spray technology. The robust micro/nano-structures of the prepared surface were established by introducing binary montmorillonite-silica (MMT-SiO2) assembled composite particles, which were formed by in-situ growth of SiO2 on MMT surfaces via sol-gel. Combined with the low surface energy of amino silicon oil (APDMS), the fluorine-free superhydrophoic PES coating was obtained with high water contact angle 156.1 ± 1.1° and low sliding angle 4.8 ± 0.7°. The anti-wear of the final PES/APDMS/MMT-SiO2 superhydrophobic coating can reach up to 60,100 cycles, which is outdistancing the pure PES coating (6800 cycles) and the PES/MMT/SiO2 coating prepared by simple physical mixture (18,200 cycles). The enhanced wear resistance property can be mainly attributed to the lubrication performance of APDMS and stable interface bonding force between the MMT surface and SiO2. Simultaneously, potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy exhibited the outstanding anti-corrosion property of PES/APDMS/MMT-SiO2 composite coating, with low corrosion current (1.6 × 10−10 A/cm2) and high protection efficiency (99.999%) even after 30 d immersion process. These test results show that this durable superhydrophobic PES composite coating can be hopefully to provide the possibility of industrial application.

One-step fabrication methods toward superhydrophobic (SH) coatings are recognized as very cost-efficient. However, most of the emerged one-step methods rely on the organic solvents to dissolve low surface energy material, which might bring serious environmental issues. In this work, a water-based one-step electrodeposition route was provided to obtain high-performance SH coating on various materials and output functional products such as the mesh used for oil–water separation, a self-cleaning “blackboard”, or stain-resistant cloth; all can be prepared within 5 min. An unconventional lauric acid emulsion containing metal ions served as the electrolyte, and with the appearance of an ultrasonic field, the organic part was effectively co-deposited. The coated SH surface enjoyed excellent mechanical stability and corrosion-resistance property. Profitably, the electrolyte can be repeatedly utilized for several cycles. Besides, our experiment proved that this technique was really scalable, rendering it with grea...

Effects of CeO2 geometry, including functionalised CeO2 nanospheres (FCNS) and nanorods (FCNS), on corrosion resistance of organic silicon epoxy (EP) composite coatings were investigated. The CeO2 nanoparticles were functionalised with γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propytrimethoxysilane and characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The corrosion resistance of EP composite coatings was evaluated by polarisation curve analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and salt spray test. It was found the incorporation with CeO2 nanoparticles improved the corrosion resistance of EP coatings, and the optimum dosage was 3 wt-%. FCNR outperformed FCNS in enhancing corrosion resistance.

It is difficult for ordinary coatings to meet the long-term anti-corrosion requirements of modern industry. Incorporating high-performance fillers into those coatings is considered as an effective way to solve the problem. Herein, a new hydrophobic fluoro-substituted polyaniline (PFAN) filler with high-performance was successfully synthesized. Results showed that the filler synthesized at 0 ℃ exhibited nearly two-dimensional micro-fibrous morphology and good solubility in some common solvents. Results also revealed that the fabricated filler could passivate iron and prevent electrolyte penetration. All these advantages endowed the epoxy coating containing 3 wt% PFAN with exceptional long-term anti-corrosion performance.

Anti-scaling is one key problem in various industrial productions. The coating technology is the most effective protection method for metals and pipelines. As a good scale inhibitor, diethylene triamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid) (DTPMPA) generally takes effect after placement into wastewater and through discharging with water flow. In this study, a novel DTPMPA-modified superhydrophobic anodized aluminium (DSAA) coating was designed, fabricated and utilized for anti-scaling of CaCO3 deposition. The unique anti-scaling performance on the surface of the DSAA coating originated from the gradual release of DTPMPA at the solution/coating interface, plus the effect of superhydrophobic anti-scaling. During the CaCO3 deposition, the abundant air layer retained at the surface of the superhydrophobic DSAA coating prevented further deposition of CaCO3. In addition, the active DTPMPA gradually and dynamically released from the DSAA coating to the water/coating interface chelated with Ca2+ and further stopped the possible combination between Ca2+ and CO32−. This synergistic antiscaling effect of the DSAA coating showed a wide application prospect in effective anti-scaling on various surfaces. This work provides a new way of designing and fabricating dynamic superhydrophobic coatings for anti-scaling.

Surface functionalization of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) was carried out, i e, CNFs were firstly oxidized and then the surface was silanized by 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) via an assembly method. A new kind of high wear resistance s-CNFs/epoxy composite was fabricated by in-situ reaction. FTIR spectroscopy was used to detect the changes of the functional groups produced by silane on the surface of CNFs. The tribological properties and microstructures of modified and unmodified CNFs/epoxy composites were studied, respectively. The expremental results indicate that APTES is covalently linked to the surface of CNFs successfully and improves the dispersion of CNF in epoxy matrix. The friction coefficients and the wear rates of s-CNFs/epoxy composites are evidently lower than those of u-CNFs/epoxy composites under the same loads. Investigations also indicate that abrasive wear is the main wear mechanism for u-CNFs/epoxy composite, with slight adhesive wear for s-CNFs/epoxy composite under the same sliding wear condition.

Inspired by the adhesive proteins in mussels, a novel electrodeposition route has been developed to create multifunctional zinc (Zn)/polydopamine (pDop)/n-dodecyl mercaptan (NDM) composite coatings on different substrates, where oxidative polymerization of dopamine was simultaneously integrated during electrodeposition process. Hierarchical cauliflower-like structure was obtained on the electrodeposited Zn/pDop coatings. After modification with NDM, the prepared Zn/pDop/NDM coatings on different substrates (steel, Al and Cu) possessed excellent superhydrophobicity, exhibiting a maximum water contact angle (WCA) of 167.6° and a sliding angle (SA) less than 1° on the steel substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to investigate the morphology and the chemical composition of the coatings. The mechanisms of electrodeposition process were discussed. The integrated electrodeposition and polymerization processes promised a synergistic effect on promoting the superhydrophobicity of coating. Results indicated that the dopamine greatly improved the mechanical abrasion resistance of the prepared superhydrophobic coatings. Additionally, these coatings demonstrated superior superhydrophobic stability, corrosion resistance and self-cleaning properties. It is believed that this novel and facile electrodeposition route for fabricating superhydrophobic coatings on various metallic materials will generate great impacts in practical applications.

Microcapsules containing an ionic liquid (IL) are potential candidate materials for preparing in situ self-lubricating composites with excellent tribological properties. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl) sulfonyl]imide ([EMIm]NTf2) IL encapsulated polysulphone microcapsules are synthesized. The mean diameter and wall thickness are about 128 μm and 10 μm, respectively. Microcapsules have excellent thermal stability, with a thermal degradation onset temperature of 440 °C compared to traditional lubricants-loaded microcapsules. In situ self-lubricating composites are prepared by incorporating the IL-encapsulated microcapsules into epoxy matrix. When the concentration of the IL microcapsules is 20 wt%, the frictional coefficient and specific wear rate of composites are reduced by 66.7% and 64.9% under low sliding velocity and middling applied load conditions, respectively, as compared to the neat epoxy. The tribological behavior of the self-lubricating composites is further assessed in different applied load and sliding velocity conditions. The in situ self-lubricating mechanism of composites is proposed.

The solar thermal electrochemical process synthesis of benzoic acid is an efficient way for organic synthesis based upon solar energy utilization. Graphite and platinum anodes have been developed with high yield and selectivity of benzoic acid. In this article, we present the first demonstration of the solar thermal-electro-photo field for efficient benzoic acid synthesis by using TiO2 nanotubes electrode. By adjusting the three-solar field process, toluene is oxidized at the surface of the photoactive, electrically driven, heat activated TiO2 nanotubes electrode. Results showed that, the synergistic effect of the three fields was found for enhancement of toluene oxidation at TiO2 electrode. The yield of benzoic acid and conversion of toluene is greatly improved with temperature, and arriving to 26.1% and 62.6% at 90 °C, respectively. In this process, solar thermal decreases the electrolysis potential of toluene oxidation. Hydroxyl, carboxyl and OOH groups, as well as the emergence of TiOC bond at the surface of the TiO2 nanotubes electrode, lead to an increased UV and visible absorption and a significant enhancement of TiO2 photocatalytic properties to increase the yield of benzoic acid. Simultaneously, an applied solar electric potential promotes the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. As a result the efficiency of TiO2 photocatalysis enhanced.

The purpose of this work was to prepare a non-fluorinated superhydrophobic composite coating with heat/durability resistance and excellent adhesion properties. This procedure was based on organic–inorganic molecular hybrid Zinc oxide (ZnO)/Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs)-Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and Stearic acid compound. The coating produced was characterized in terms of their superhydrophobic properties and morphology. In optimized conditions, the contact angle (CA) for water and oil deposited on the coating were as high as 172, and 154°, respectively. In addition, the composite coating could maintain superhydrophobic even soaked in liquid with pH from 1 to 14. The resulting superhydrophobic composite coating showed good thermal stability, which could maintain hydrophobic even under a harsh environment with the high temperature over 150 °C. The contact angle of the prepared coating could still keep superhydrophobic even after being exposed in air about 90 days, showing a good performance in durability. The enhancement in these preliminary results will guide the design and fabrication of the non-fluorinated commercial superhydrophobic coatings.

A new robust three-dimensional (3D) network epoxy (EP)-based nanocomposite was fabricated via vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) method. Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and 3D polyimide (PI) fiber felt were utilized to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of the prepared EP nanocomposites. Results indicated that both the friction coefficients and wear rates of CNFs/PI/EP nanocomposites were lower than the other two comparative materials at various loads and velocities. CNFs/PI/EP nanocomposites obtained superior tribological properties, which enhanced the wear resistance by 18 times compared with pure EP under the applied load of 1.2 MPa. The worn surface and wear mechanism of composites were analyzed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Additionally, CNFs/PI/EP nanocomposites also exhibited remarkable improvements in the mechanical properties. These improved properties could be attributed to the synergistic effect between PI fiber felt and CNFs. The 3D PI fiber felt was used as structural skeleton reinforcing while the CNFs played its role in enhancing interface bonding strength between EP matrix and PI fiber felt. The CNFs could also act as solid lubrication and anti-friction agent in the composites.

Polysulfone (PSF) microcapsules containing lubricant oil have been successfully prepared using solvent evaporation method. The results show that lubricant oil was successfully encapsulated and the encapsulation capacity of about 56.0 wt.% was achieved. The uniform microcapsules have nearly spherical shape and quite smooth outer surface. The mean diameter is approximately 156 and 169 μm by using different dispersant solutions. The wall material is porous in structure with wall thickness of about 20 μm. The initial decomposition temperature of PSF is 480 °C. It is higher than traditional poly(urea-formaldehyde) (PUF) and poly(melamine-formaldehyde) (PMF) wall materials with 245 °C and 260 °C initial decomposition temperature, respectively. High thermal stability of PSF microcapsules can be considered as additives in high temperature resistant polymer materials. The frictional coefficient and wear rate of epoxy composites decreased significantly by incorporating microcapsules containing lubricant oil into epoxy. When the concentration of microcapsules was 25 wt.%, the frictional coefficient and specific wear rate were reduced by 2.3 and 18.3 times, respectively, as compared to the neat epoxy.

Porous self-lubricating PEEK composites (PSPC) with nano-micro multilevel pore structure (N-MPS) incorporated by ionic liquid were fabricated via molding–leaching and vacuum suction technologies. The tribological properties of PSPC with different porosities were investigated using a tribotester under an applied load of 250 N and a sliding speed of 0.69 m s−1. Moreover, a finite element (FE) model with N-MPS was firstly developed to reveal the nano-micron scale collaborative lubrication mechanism of the composites. The temperature field, von Mises stress, and displacement fields of the FE model under different porosity conditions were studied in heat-stress coupled field using ANSYS software. The accuracy of the simulation results was verified by comparing them with corresponding experimental results with the error values

A self-lubrication composite incorporating activated carbon particles containing lubricating oil (AC-oil) was fabricated in an epoxy resin matrix. Pure EP and AC/EP composites were also fabricated for comparison. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was conducted to examine the oil absorption rate of AC-oil. The fracture surfaces and the worn surfaces of the pure EP and its composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that the content of AC-oil particles was of significance for the tribological and mechanical properties of the AC-oil/EP composites, and the oil absorption rate of the AC-oil was about 21%. The best tensile and tribological properties of the AC-oil/EP composites were obtained at an AC-oil content of 1 wt% and 10 wt%, respectively. Compared with pure EP, the wear resistance of the AC-oil (10 wt%)/EP composites increased 3.21 times and the friction coefficient decreased by 25.7%. The tensile strength of the AC-oil (1 wt%)/EP composites increased by 38.6% and 28.3%, respectively, when comparing with the pure EP and AC/EP composites. The solid–liquid two-phase self-lubrication mechanism was also discussed according to SEM and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis of the worn surfaces and the counterpart surfaces.

A superhydrophobic coating with long-lived wear resistance was successfully prepared by integrating the hydrophobization of cotton fiber fabric and the curing of epoxy composites consisting of polyurethane (PU), polyfluoroalkoxy (PFA) and hydrophobic SiO2 nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to investigate the chemical compositions and morphologies of the modified cotton fiber fabric and the prepared coating. When the epoxy solution containing 35 wt% PFA and 25 wt% PU, the obtained coating exhibited superhydrophobic behavior with a water contact angle (WCA) of 153.5 ± 1°. Tribological tests indicated that this fiber fabric/epoxy composites coating had stable friction coefficient and excellent wear-resistance under the harsh conditions with the applied load of 2.8 MPa and the sliding velocity of 0.51 m s−1. After 240000 cycles of abrasion, the coating just showed the decrease in thickness of 80 μm without apparent damage and could retain high hydrophobicity with the WCA of 142°. Simultaneously, the coating was resistant to the acid or alkali solution. This wear-resistant superhydrophobic fiber fabric/epoxy composites coating may be a good candidate for the practical industrial applications under harsh working conditions.

In this study, epoxy (EP) composites filled with different contents of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated by the solvent evaporation and curing method. FT-IR and XRD analysis were performed to explore the discolorment mechanism of the PVDF/EP composites before and after curing. The effects of the PVDF and CNT content on the mechanical and tribological properties of the composites were investigated. Results revealed that 1.0% CNT/30% PVDF/EP composites exhibited a 36.2% and 10.1% increase in flexural strength and hardness, as compared to those of the 30% PVDF/EP composites. The wear rates of 1.0% CNT/30% PVDF/EP composites and 30% PVDF/EP composites were 92.1% and 86.8% lower than that of pristine EP under 1.0 MPa and 0.76 m s−1, respectively. Meanwhile, the fractured and worn surfaces of specimens were both analyzed by the observations of SEM. In addition, wear tests under various applied loads were conducted for pristine EP, 30% PVDF/EP and 1.0% CNT/30% PVDF/EP composites. The results showed that the wear properties of the two composites were both superior to those of pristine EP due to the formation of a transfer film as revealed by SEM-EDS analysis, which could effectively protect the worn surface from direct abrasion during the wear testing.