The influence of plasma treatment on the tribological properties of hybrid PTFE/Cotton fabric/phenolic composites

In this study, the effects of air-plasma and N₂-plasma treatment on the hybrid polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/ cotton fabric and a phenolic resin were investigated in detail. The tribological properties of the untreated and plasma-treated hybrid PTFE/cotton fabric/phenolic composites were investigated. The results indicated that air-plasma-treated hybrid PTFE/cotton fabric/phenolic composites exhibited better antiwear and friction reduction properties. The combination of scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis illustrated that hybrid PTFE/cot- ton fabric/phenolic composites treated with air-plasma possessed more integrated structure and more functional groups, which plausibly contributed to the better tribological properties of the hybrid PTFE/cotton fabric/phenolic composites treated with air-plasma.