Polytetrafluoroethylene Wax and Lubricant-Loaded Mesoporous Carbon Nanorods Enable Self-Healing and Self-Lubricating Epoxy Composites

Abstract Polymer composites operating in harsh environments are prone to failure due to friction and wear, resulting in short service lives. This paper proposes a dual-function polymer composite with self-lubrication and self-healing properties. The bifunctional polymer composite (EP-CR@BM6/PFW) was prepared using mesoporous nanocarbon (CR) with a rod-like morphology as a nanocontainer to store the ionic liquid lubricant ([BMIm]PF6) and polytetrafluoroethylene wax (PFW) as healing agent. The epoxy resin (EP) containing 5 wt % CR@BM6/PFW exhibits a low friction coefficient, high wear resistance, and self-healing capacity, making it suitable for advanced engineering applications. After being heated at 120 °C for 30 min, the EP composite achieved a self-healing efficiency of 61.8%. Under a load of 10 N and a sliding speed of 18 mm/s, the EP-CR@BM6/PFW composite exhibited a friction coefficient of 0.06 after 1800 s of reciprocating sliding, corresponding to a 92.5% reduction relative to neat EP under the same test conditions. Its wear rate was also reduced by 97.2% relative to neat EP. The enhanced performance of EP composite with 5 wt % CR@BM6/PFW can be attributed to the synergistic mechanisms, whereby the sustained release of ionic liquid from the CR generates an effective lubricating film, and the PFW component exerts a softening and self-repairing function, collectively reducing the friction coefficient and wear rate. This work provides a strategy for developing polymer composites that integrate self-lubricating and self-healing capabilities, showing potential for tribological applications.