In this work, a PTFE-based self-lubricating coating containing microencapsulated [HMIM][NTf2] ionic liquid (IL) lubricant is reported. The microcapsules, made of polysulphone, are prepared by solvent evaporation. In order to allow incorporation in the thin PTFE coating layer, which is applied by spraying, the capsules were produced with small sizes (below 10 m). Their physico-chemical characterization is presented in terms of SEM/EDS, TGA, FTIR and particle size distribution analysis. It is shown that both the encapsulant material and the IL lubricant are able to withstand the high-temperature curing conditions necessary for the coating system used (380 ºC during 30 min). Crossed-cylinders tribological testing of the applied coatings showed that incorporation of IL-containing capsules yields a reduction in coefficient of friction of up to 12 % when compared to the baseline formulation and a reduction of up to 70 % in wear rate under high load and low sliding speed conditions. The tribological behaviour of the modified coating is further assessed in different load and speed (P.V) combinations.

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Tribological coatings are widely used in industry, particularly when the conventional oil lubrication of sliding surfaces has to be replaced by maintenance-free contacts. This work studies the tribological performance of waterborne tribological coatings based on three binders of the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family: polyetherketone (PEK), PEEK, and polyetherketoneketone (PEKK). Even though PEEK is a well-known commercial solution for this type of tribological coatings, PEK and PEKK have never been studied in such a context. PTFE particles were added to all coatings as a solid lubricant. High thermal resistance of the binder materials was confirmed, with decomposition starting above 550 °C, under either N2 or O2 atmosphere. XRD analysis showed that PEK and PEEK are semi-crystalline after being subjected to the coating curing conditions, while PEKK is amorphous. The coatings were successfully applied with thicknesses of 20–30 µm. Tribological measurements showed that the PEK-based coating possesses a coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.08 under high load and pressure conditions (hertzian point contact), which is lower than the reference PEEK-based coating (around 0.11). The PEKK-based coating showed an impressive wear resistance with almost no wear measured compared to the 105 µm wear obtained for PEEK-based coating, while showing a similar COF. These results suggest that PEK and PEKK seem to be interesting alternatives to PEEK and should be further studied for use in tribological coatings.