Effect of nano-SiO₂ particles on the carbon fabric/resin friction materials by microwave-hydrothermal treatment

Nano-SiO₂ was grafted onto the carbon fabric surface under microwave-hydrothermal condition to improve the tribological properties of carbon fabric/resin friction materials with different treatment temperature. The carbon fibers and prepared samples were characterized by the Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, contact angle instrument, energy dispersive spectroscopy, universal material testing machine and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The tribological behaviors of the carbon fabric/resin friction materials were evaluated by a friction tester. The results indicated that nano-SiO₂ particles were successfully grafted onto carbon fabric surface under microwave-hydrothermal condition, especially at 200℃ (contact angle was almost close to 0°), which obviously improved the hydrophilicity of carbon fabric surface. The wear rate of carbon fabric/resin friction materials with microwave-hydrothermal temperature of 200℃ reduced by 81.4%, ranging from 4.3 × 10⁻⁵ mm³J⁻¹ to 0.8 × 10⁻⁵ mm³J⁻¹. It could effectively enhance the bonding strength of carbon fabric and resin, which improved the friction-reduction and anti-wear abilities of the friction materials.