Ti3C2 MXene induced high tribological performance of polyimide/polyurea copolymer at a wide temperature range

Copolymers of polyimide and polyuria with different fractions were synthesized. Furthermore, Ti3C2 MXene two-dimensional material was obtained by etching Ti3AlC2 with hydrofluoric acid. It was demonstrated that the copolymers displayed outstanding tribological performance than that of pure polymers and the as-synthesized Ti3C2 MXene were endowed with outstanding dispersion in above copolymer. Importantly, when used as a solid lubricant additive at different temperatures, the two-dimensional material showed excellent friction reducing and antiwear properties. That is, blending even a small fraction of Ti3C2 MXene into the copolymer dramatically reduced the friction and wear of the friction pair. SEM mappings and XPS analyses revealed that a continuous tribofilm consisting of a high fraction of tribo-chemical products and TiO2 was established on the rubbed surfaces, which were significant in improving the lubrication performance at different temperatures.