Tribological properties of polycarbonate blended with high-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride

High-density polyethylene ( HDPE) and maleic anhydride grafted HDPE ( HDPE-g-MA) were selected as lubricant and compatibilizer, respectively, for improving the tribological and mechanical properties of polycarbonate ( PC). The morphology of worn surfaces and debris was observed by means of scanning electron microscopy ( SEM). The mated steel ring surface was analyzed by using SEM combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy ( EDS). Both HDPE and HDPE-g-MA reduced the friction and wear of pure PC. HDPE-g-MA, which had a better compatibility with PC than HDPE, resulted in better improvement of the mechanical and tribological properties of the PC matrix. A 10 vol. % HDPE-g-MA reduced the wear of pure PC by 4 orders of magnitude, and the friction coefficient was reduced from 0.86 to 0.22. Such improvements in the tribological behavior resulted from the good self lubrication of HDPE and HDPE-g-MA. The PC/HDPE-g-MA ( S90-0-10) polyblend also showed higher notched impact strength than pure PC. It may be a useful material for application in tribological fields.