Wear‐Resistant Epoxy Coatings With <scp>KH550</scp> ‐Functionalized <scp>SiC</scp> @ <scp> SiO ₂ </scp> : Effects of Thermal Oxidation and Surface Grafting

ABSTRACT In this study, a wear‐resistant epoxy resin (EP) composite coating incorporating surface‐modified silicon carbide (SiC) particles was developed. The SiC particles were functionalized through sequential thermal oxidation and silane coupling agent (KH550) modification to yield SiC@SiO 2 ‐KH550 hybrid fillers. The influence of filler addition and content on the tribological properties was investigated with a pin‐on‐disk wear tester, whereas the wear morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that the neat EP coatings primarily exhibit an adhesive wear mechanism, whereas the composite coatings show a mixed wear mechanism involving adhesion, abrasion, and delamination. The composite coating with 20 wt% SiC@SiO 2 ‐KH550 filler achieved optimal tribological performance, with reductions in wear rate by 80% and 26% compared to neat EP and unmodified SiC/EP systems, respectively. The enhanced wear resistance is mainly attributed to the modified SiC particles, which promote the formation of transfer films with excellent mechanical properties and a larger area ratio through improved interfacial bonding and dispersion.