Thermoplastic based composites containing different weight fractions of molybdenum
disulfide (MoS2) solid lubricant were developed by injection molding.
Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) were chosen for the thermoplastic
matrices. In order to characterize the interfacial adhesion between the matrices and the
filler, we observed the fracture morphologies of selected composites. Micrographs of the
fractured surfaces showed removal of MoS2 particles by microcraking as well as
the presence of voids in the case of PMMA/MoS2 composites. These observations
were confirmed by complementary images obtained using the X-ray tomography. The addition
of an appropriate coupling agent may improve the adhesion between the MoS2
particles and the polymer matrix. Tribological behavior of the composites was also
investigated using a ball-on-flat microtribometer with a high chromium steel ball
antagonist. It was found that the addition of MoS2 particles didn’t improve the
tribological performance of the composite in the case of PMMA matrix unlike the case of PC
matrix where the friction coefficient was considerably reduced.