Fabrication of Thermally Stable Polysulfone Microcapsules Containing [EMIm][NTf 2 ] Ionic Liquid for Enhancement of In Situ Self‐Lubrication Effect of Epoxy

Microcapsules containing an ionic liquid (IL) are potential candidate materials for preparing in situ self‐lubricating composites with excellent tribological properties. 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl) sulfonyl]imide ([EMIm]NTf 2 ) IL encapsulated polysulphone microcapsules are synthesized. The mean diameter and wall thickness are about 128 μm and 10 μm, respectively. Microcapsules have excellent thermal stability, with a thermal degradation onset temperature of 440 °C compared to traditional lubricants‐loaded microcapsules. In situ self‐lubricating composites are prepared by incorporating the IL‐encapsulated microcapsules into epoxy matrix. When the concentration of the IL microcapsules is 20 wt%, the frictional coefficient and specific wear rate of composites are reduced by 66.7% and 64.9% under low sliding velocity and middling applied load conditions, respectively, as compared to the neat epoxy. The tribological behavior of the self‐lubricating composites is further assessed in different applied load and sliding velocity conditions. The in situ self‐lubricating mechanism of composites is proposed.