MXene decorated hierarchical phase change microcapsules to strengthen the tribological properties of PPS/PTFE fabric composites

The reduction of the wear rate and friction coefficient of composites simultaneously has a great challenge.Herein, a unique phase change microcapsule is designed with n-docosane as the core, TiO2 coated with sodium
alginate as the shell, as well as surface-decorated Ti3C2Tx nanosheets. In this microcapsule system, n-docosaneabsorbs part of the frictional heat via solid-liquid phase change and releases it continuously to achieve selflubrication. The TiO2 shell possesses excellent load-bearing capacity and Ti3C2Tx is susceptible to interlayerslip, which reduces the friction and wear of fabric composites. The results indicate that an average wear rate and
friction coefficient of fabric composites are decreased by 60.85 % and 11.83 % with the addition of microcapsules. A strong and continuous tribofilm is formed on the steel surface, and the tribofilm enhances the boundary
lubrication of the steel counterpart. This paper is expected to provide a novel design thought for the application of core-shell structure in tribology