Key words: supercritical carbon dioxide, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, organometallic precursor, modification, nanoindentation, tribology characteristics, friction coefficient
Microstructure and mechanical properties of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) containing metallic silver nanoparticles introduced via impregnation with Ag-containing precursor in supercritical carbon dioxide are studied. The nanoindentation experiments showed that the elastic modulus of silver-containing composites increases by 40—50% compared to the initial UHMWPE samples, while the hardness of modified samples remains largely unchanged. Measured values of friction coefficients for the initial and modified polymers are comparable at loads ranging from 50 to 400 N.