The influence of high-entropy alloys on the abrasive wear index of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene

Abstract

This work examines the influence of high-entropy alloys Fe₂₀Ni₂₀Co₂₀Be₂₀Si₁₄B₆ and : Al₄₀Co₁₂Cu₁₂Cr₁₂Ni₁₂Fe₁₂ on the abrasive wear index of ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene. The effective filler content that ensures the minimum wear rate has been determined. For the Fe₂₀Ni₂₀Co₂₀Be₂₀Si₁₄B₆ alloy, the optimal concentration is 25 wt.%, whereas for the: Al₄₀Co₁₂Cu₁₂Cr₁₂Ni₁₂Fe₁₂ alloy it is 20 wt.%. The overall improvement in abrasive resistance reaches 35–45% compared to unfilled polyethylene. The enhancement in wear resistance is attributed to the strengthening of the polymer matrix by hard particles of the high-entropy alloys, whose microhardness exceeds 10000 MPa. Their introduction significantly increases the material’s ability to resist mechanical degradation of the surface layers during friction against rigidly fixed abrasive particles. The obtained results confirm the feasibility of using high-entropy alloys as effective functional fillers for the development of wear-resistant polymer composites based on ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene and open up promising directions for further research in this field.