ENHANCING TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF EPOXY COMPOSITES WITH NANO PARTICLES OF ZnS

Because of their special properties, ZnS nanoparticles have a number of benefits and can be used in a variety of applications. These include of coating, biomedical, photovoltaic, sensors, and UV and optical light. Zinc sulfide's many uses and benefits are what motivated us to employ it as an epoxy reinforcing ingredient to create epoxy composites with superior mechanical and tribological properties. Furthermore, very few researches have examined the tribological characteristics of zinc sulfide as an epoxy reinforcing material. This study examined the friction, hardness, and wear of epoxy composite reinforced with varying concentrations of zinc sulfide nanoparticles (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 wt. %) under dry sliding condition and at room temperature under normal loads of 5 and 7 N. The test samples' hardness was measured using hardness tester (DVK-1A-6 Time Group Inc., Taiwan). Scaninng electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the samples' worn surfaces. The findings demonstrated that zinc sulfide in its nanoform improved the epoxy composites' friction, hardness, and wear, making them viable materials for a variety of tribological applications.