Effects of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and Graphene on the Self-lubricating Properties of PEEK Composites

The composites based on poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) are widely used in aerospace, precision manufacturing and other fields. However, although the existing two-dimensional (2D) reinforcements represented by graphene has shown promising anti-friction performance in PEEK composites, the deterioration of material strength and wear resistance appears as well. In this work, by taking Ti₃C₂T_x MXene nanosheets, a new two-dimensional material as reinforcement, a series of PEEK composites were prepared. The tribological properties of MXene-reinforced PEEK composites were compared with those of graphene-reinforced PEEK under different loads, and the role of the two 2D reinforcements on the self-lubricating properties of PEEK was analyzed. The results showed that Ti₃C₂T_x MXene could significantly improve the microhardness and wear resistance of PEEK compared with graphene. At the same time, all the Ti₃C₂T_x MXene composites exhibited adhesive wear and abrasive wear behavior under all the test conditions, while the graphene composites exhibited fatigue wear under high loads.