Tech Talk Blog

Recent improvements in the pretreatment of certain fillers used in PTFE compounds has dramatically improved wear life. Carbon fibers are traditionally used for improving strength, heat transfer and electrical properties of PTFE. However, new chemical enhancements of the carbon fiber has resulted in dramatic tribological advances. By treating the fibers with plasma first, it prepares the surface for other chemical attachments. Experiments with nitric acid, amino silanes and two rare earth solutions showed varying degrees of improvement in both friction and wear. The best combination was plasma followed by a rare earth sol comprised of lanthanum oxide. This showed a reduction of dynamic friction to 0.054 and a K factor of 3.4, both exceptional numbers for a PTFE compound. New chemical modifications of fillers are being introduced which will lead to even more interesting new opportunities for seals, bearings and other dynamic application of PTFE compounds.

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