Enhancing friction with additively manufactured surface‐textured polymer composites

Abstract Increasing rubber's friction on slippery surfaces provides protection against falls; however, surface‐textured composites, despite their potential, remain susceptible to wear. To address this issue, part of our team previously patented a surface‐textured composite made from thermoplastic polymers and microfibers. This study investigates the impact of manufacturing processes and 2D filler, which are known for their hydrophobicity and large surface area. It enhances our patented composite by integrating 2D graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and fillers like styrene‐butadiene‐styrene (SEBS), and silica, while comparing the properties of composites fabricated via injection molding (IM) and fused filament fabrication (FFF). The results demonstrate that 2D fillers enhance both abrasion resistance and ice friction, while FFF‐fabricated composites consistently exhibit superior properties across all compositions. Notably, hBN‐reinforced samples exhibited hierarchical surface texturing, leading to enhanced abrasion resistance (FFF: 146.63% ± 3.39%; IM: 133.83% ± 6.8%; p = 0.036), and effective ice traction (FFF: 0.58 ± 0.04; IM: 0.54 ± 0.06; p = 0.043). These outperformed ice‐traction properties of all other FFF‐fabricated composites, including a previously patented composite (0.52 ± 0.05) as well as composites with GNP (0.53 ± 0.02), SEBS (0.42 ± 0.05), and hBN + SEBS (0.45 ± 0.02). Additionally, the patented composite produced via FFF exhibited moderate oil traction (0.121 ± 0.001), outperforming others. This study highlights the potential of FFF and 2D fillers to enhance traction and durability in composites. Highlights Surface‐textured composite introduced via additive manufacturing. Abrasion resistance and friction analysis on icy and oily conditions. Reveals the potential for new composite to improve traction and longevity. Highlights the importance of controlled fiber distribution and orientation.