Tribological Behavior of Chemically Bonded Ceramic Coatings Reinforced with Modified Carbon Fiber

In this study, carbon fiber was modified by 3-Aminopropyl triethoxysilane (KH550) and employed as a functional filler to enhance the wear resistance of chemically bonded ceramic coatings on AISI 304L stainless steel. The chemical structure and morphology of silane-treated carbon fiber (CF) were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the surface of CF became rough due to the grafting of KH550, which improved the bonding strength between CF and ceramic matrix. The tribological performance of the ceramic coatings with silane-treated CF was evaluated using a ball-on-disc method. The results showed that the friction coefficient and wear rate of the ceramic coatings decreased with the increase of the content of silane-treated CF. These improvements were attributed to the strong bonding strength between silane-treated CF and ceramic matrix, which could consume more fracture energy and block the diffusion pathway of cracks. This study provides new insights into the design and optimization of wear-resistant ceramic coatings reinforced with modified carbon fiber for potential engineering applications.