Hydrophilic Modification and Water Lubrication Performance of NBR Rubber UV/Ozone (UVO) Treatment

In the study, hydrophilic/superhydrophilic surface modification was carried out by UV/ozone treatment using the nitrile rubber as a substrate. The characteristics of hydrophilic modified surface contact angle, contact angle hysteresis and microscopic morphology were characterized by contact angle measuring instrument and optical microscope, and the modification mechanism of surface hydrophilicity was analyzed. The mechanical durability and retention of the hydrophilic surface of the nitrile rubber were tested using the MFT-5000 friction and wear tester. The results show that the superhydrophilic and completely wetted surface can be obtained within 10 min after UV/ozone treatment. The nitrile butadiene rubber reacted with ozone to form an oxide film, so that the hydrophilic modified nitrile butadiene rubber exhibited a low friction coefficient and good wear resistance under both dry friction and water lubrication conditions