Development and optimization of Al 2 O 3 –HAp bifiller reinforced PLA/CS bio nanocomposites for improved tribo-mechanical performance using GRA-RSM approach

Abstract

The present article enhances the understanding of wear behaviour of developed bifiller-reinforced polymeric bio-nanocomposites (BRPBNCs) reinforced with a bifiller hydroxyapatite (HAp) (20 wt.%) and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) (1, 2, and 3 wt.%) into the PLA/CS blend-based matrix and pioneers the combination of optimization methods with various tribological parameters to Improved Tribo-Mechanical Performance Using Response Surface Methodology-based Grey Relational Analysis. BRPBNCs samples were prepared via the solid compression technique. The mechanical and tribological properties of the developed BRPBNCs samples were examined through compression and wear tests, respectively, using a compression testing machine and a pin-on-disk machine. All samples were tested under dry conditions. Notably, the BRPBNCs samples were prepared using bifiller materials of 20 wt% HAp and 3 wt% Al₂O₃, which increased the compressive strength of these samples by 2.56 times and compressive modulus by 1.71 times compared to the PLA/CS blend matrix. An optimization technique was employed to fine-tune the tribological parameters. Gray theory was used to determine optimal settings at 1 wt% Al₂O₃ and 20 wt% HAp, with a loading of 40 N and a cycle time of 900 s. The microstructural analysis (FESEM images) offers an extensive range of insight into the microstructural attributes and provides a detailed analysis of wear surfaces and shows the uniform dispersion of bifiller and matrix which strengthen the wear property. Incorporating bifiller materials into the matrix improved wear resistance and the coefficient of friction (COF). The modified BRPBNCs enhanced internal fixation and implant component performance under various loading conditions. By providing useful insights to improve tribological performance, it has broad implications outside of tribology, impacting areas of materials science such as biomaterials used as internal fixation devices. This approach is novel due to the selection of a unique material combination, the easy-to-prepare homogeneous BRPBNCs samples, and a hybrid method for selecting parameters that improve tribomechanical performance for potential biomedical applications.