Wear Mechanism of the Modified UHMWPE with Schiff Base Copper(II) Complex and Glycerol-Polyethylene Microencapsules

A new kind of modified UHMWPE with the synthesized Cu(II) chelate of bissalicylaldehyde-ethylenediamine(Schiff Base Copper(II) Complex) and the synthesized glycerine microcapsules with polyethylene wall was prepared.Friction and wear properties of the modified UHMWPE against GCr15 steel under dry friction condition and at a high sliding velocity were studied with a pin-on-disk tester.In order to investigate wear mechanism of the modified UHMWPE,topographies of worn surface were observed by SEM and main elements of worn surface were analyzed by EDAX.The results show that wear resistance of the modified UHMWPE was improved obviously by comparison with that of pure UHMWPE due to its special self-selective transferring effect.Serious adhesive wear processes,which appeared usually in rubbing pairs of steel with various polymers under dry friction conditions,were never done in the modified UHMWPE / steel pair.