Tribological performance of epoxy composites reinforced by 3D expanded graphite skeleton containing oil microcapsules

In this work, an innovative approach utilizing the solvent evaporation method was employed to prepare a three-dimensional expanded graphite skeleton containing uniformly dispersed sorbitan oleate/paraffin wax (SP80/PW) microcapsules, aiming to enhance the friction and wear properties of epoxy resins . It was found that the expanded graphite layered cavity encapsulated microcapsules effectively prevented the leakage of liquid sorbitan oleate while releasing it only on the friction surfaces for lubrication . Compared with pure epoxy resin, the coefficient of friction and specific wear rate of the prepared composites were reduced by 79.7 % and 99.5 % at a high friction speed, respectively.