Investigating the effect of simultaneous incorporation of Al₂O₃ and B₄C nanofillers in enhancing the wear performance of UHMWPE

Abstract

During the past years, great effort has been made to improve the tribological performance of ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), considered a key polymeric material in applications requiring elevated mechanical and corrosion resistance and bioinertness. This work aimed to investigate the role of adding ceramic nanofillers of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and boron carbide (B4C) in the UHMWPE matrix in order to modify the triboperformance of the polymer. The results obtained through dry reciprocating sliding tests up to 6 h (21,600 cycles) revealed that the presence of nanoparticles has led to a 33% higher coefficient of friction on average when compared with the matrix polymer without nanofillers. This behavior results from the increased resistance to plowing caused by the nanofillers, which contributes to the frictional force. Conversely, the simultaneous utilization of both nanofillers, each one at a concentration of 1.5% by mass, significantly enhances the wear resistance of UHMWPE, achieving a reduction in wear of over 35%.