Anekratmontre Thitisorn, Wongsawaeng Doonyapong, Kongprawes Grittima, Toyen Donruedee
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University 254 Phayathai Road, Pathumwan Bangkok 10330 Thailand
Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (Public Organization) 9/9 Moo 7, Sai Mun Ongkharak Nakhon Nayok 26120 Thailand.
RSC Adv. 2025 Jul 28;15(33):26756-26765. doi: 10.1039/d5ra04349b. eCollection 2025 Jul 25.
This work aims to investigate the enhancement of tribological, mechanical, and electrical properties of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) through surface modification graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) coating combined with electron beam (E-beam) irradiation. UHMWPE substrates were dip-coated with 1 wt% GNPs and subjected to E-beam irradiation at doses ranging from 0 to 500 kGy. Among the tested conditions, irradiation at 100 kGy yielded the most favorable outcomes, including a reduced coefficient of friction (0.1793), improved tensile strength (28.94 MPa), increased elongation at break (58.35%), and the highest surface hardness (68 Shore D). Furthermore, the surface resistivity decreased markedly to 2.15 × 10 Ω, indicating a significant improvement in surface conductivity. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed the formation of carbonyl groups (C[double bond, length as m-dash]O), attributed to oxidative processes initiated by irradiation-induced free radicals. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirm enhanced GNP adhesion and uniform dispersion at moderate irradiation levels. However, excessive irradiation doses, exceeding 100 kGy, led to the degradation of both structural and functional properties due to polymer chain scission. These findings demonstrate that the synergistic integration of graphene coating and optimally tuned E-beam irradiation, particularly at 100 kGy, offers a promising strategy for developing UHMWPE-based materials with superior multifunctional performance for advanced tribological, mechanical, and electrical applications.
这项工作旨在研究通过表面改性石墨烯纳米片（GNP）涂层与电子束（E束）辐照相结合来增强超高分子量聚乙烯（UHMWPE）的摩擦学、机械和电学性能。将UHMWPE基材浸涂1 wt%的GNPs，并在0至500 kGy的剂量范围内进行E束辐照。在测试条件中，100 kGy的辐照产生了最有利的结果，包括降低的摩擦系数（0.1793）、提高的拉伸强度（28.94 MPa）、增加的断裂伸长率（58.35%）以及最高的表面硬度（68邵氏D）。此外，表面电阻率显著降低至2.15×10Ω，表明表面导电性有显著改善。傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）显示形成了羰基（C[双键，长度为m破折号]O），这归因于辐照诱导自由基引发的氧化过程。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）图像证实了在适度辐照水平下GNP附着力增强且分散均匀。然而，超过100 kGy的过高辐照剂量由于聚合物链断裂导致结构和功能性能下降。这些发现表明，石墨烯涂层与优化调整的E束辐照的协同整合，特别是在100 kGy时，为开发具有卓越多功能性能的基于UHMWPE的材料以用于先进的摩擦学、机械和电学应用提供了一种有前景的策略。
