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.