Highly Dispersed Carbon Nanotubes Developed Wear‐Resistant Self‐Healing Green Water‐Based Epoxy Resin Composite Coating

ABSTRACT Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have excellent wear resistance and thermal conductivity. However, their agglomeration can lead to uneven distribution in the matrix, further affecting their thermal conductivity. In this study, ionic liquid crystal (ILC) was used to modify the surface of CNTs instead of acidic conditions. It was adsorbed on their surface; the steric hindrance was increased, achieving continuous, stable, and uniform dispersion of them in water‐based epoxy resin (EP). CNTs/PFW@PDA/EP composite coating was successfully synthesized by adding dopamine hydrochloride (PDA)‐coated polytetrafluoro‐wax (PFW) to water‐based epoxy resin to enhance its hydrophilicity. Using uniformly distributed CNTs as the heat conduction network ensures uniform heat transfer and shortens the repair time of the composite coating. When CNTs and PFW work together, due to the synergistic effect of the soft lubricating phase, almost zero running‐in can be achieved. This composite coating performs extremely well in terms of wear resistance, with the friction coefficient reduced to 0.043.