Improved mechanical and tribological properties of epoxy resin with new hyperbranched polysiloxane grafted MXene/Ag hybrids

In this study, different MXene/Ag hybrids were synthesized via an in-situ reduction method, followed by a “one-pot” strategy to design hydroxyl-terminated hyperbranched polysiloxane (HBPSi-OH) as a “bridging” structure to enhance the compatibility between MXene/Ag and epoxy resin (EP), forming the HMA/EP composite. Benefiting from the rigidity-flexibility synergistic effect between MXene/Ag and HBPSi-OH, 0.6 wt% HMA-2/EP composite exhibited the highest impact strength (35.3 kJ/m²) and flexural strength (146.3 MPa). Meanwhile, its average coefficient of friction (COF) and volume wear rate were significantly reduced by 32.8 % and 96.0 %, respectively, compared to pure EP resin. This work offers valuable insights for advancing high-performance polymer composites in the field of tribology.