Dry sliding wear behavior of Poly Ether Ether Ketone (PEEK) reinforced with graphite and synthetic diamond particles

Tribo film modification by synthetic diamond filler is an important study in developing polymer composite-based tribo components to avoid material loss during the sliding process. Anti-wear and anti-friction responsiveness were investigated by adding synthetic diamond particles (0–1 wt%) and graphite particles (0–1 wt%) to a Poly Ether Ether Ketone (PEEK) matrix under dry sliding conditions. Adding high-strength synthetic diamond filler offers more resistance to deformation of the PEEK composite, significantly improving its hardness and wear resistance properties. Altering synthetic diamond and graphite filler concentrations changes the wear process by modifying the tribo film characteristics, specifically at 0.5 % diamond and 0.75 % graphite particles, showing the lowest friction. The measured ID/IG ratio of transfer film was 0.92 by Raman spectra analysis, referring to the crystallized graphitic structure in the tribo film. XPS and Raman spectra analyses show that the tribo-chemical products of tribo film improve the lubricity and load-bearing ability of the composite. The mechanical effects of synthetic diamond particles and the tribochemical interactions between the sliding pair release polymer chelates strongly bind the tribo film to the counter surface. This increases the strength of the tribo film bond, which significantly improves tribo performance.