Characterization and Tribological Behavior of Electroless-Deposited Ni-P-PTFE Films on NBR Substrates for Dynamic Contact Applications

The use of rubber in dynamic contacts often results in severe degradation and wear of the rubber surface, which is why dynamic rubber seal contacts are usually oil lubricated to ensure their functionality. However, the increasing demand for more convenient and environmentally friendly sealing solutions has prompted the development of dry low-friction rubber coatings. In this work, and for the first time, Ni-P and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles were co-deposited by electroless plating on Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR), as a low-cost solution to improve the NBR tribological behavior. A cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), was added to the plating bath to ensure a homogeneous and efficient incorporation of PTFE into the Ni-P. The optimized PTFE incorporation reached 6.8%, and the composite coating adhesion to NBR was 20% higher than that of nickel-phosphorous (Ni-P) films. The tribological properties of the coatings evaluated by pin-on-disk tests showed a marginal decrease in the coefficient of friction (CoF) (10%, 1 N load), compared to that of Ni-P. However, the tested PTFE-based coatings displayed significantly smoother surfaces with less debris and cracks, clearly demonstrating the benefits of the PTFE in terms of wear resistance for loads up to 5 N.