Reliability Study of Solid-Liquid Coupled Lubrication Coatings for Fasteners

Organic coatings, especially fluoropolymer coatings, can be used as protective coatings for fasteners to provide lubrication, corrosion protection, coefficient-of-friction control, and anti-locking functions. We have developed a solid-liquid-coupled lubrication coating based on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and microcapsules, which can realize effective lubrication under high pressure. In this study, to investigate the reliability of this solid-liquid-coupled lubrication coating, the effects of different factors, including the microcapsule size, PTFE type, resin type, and 2D material, are investigated. The results demonstrate that coupled lubrication can be achieved only when the PTFE size is effectively matched with the microcapsule size. The solid-liquid-coupled lubrication mechanism is not restricted to the resin matrix type. The addition of 2D materials can further enhance the tribological properties of the composite. This study verifies the influencing factors at the raw-material level that affect the performance reliability of solid-liquid-coupled lubrication coatings, which is important to promote the application of this coating.