Modification of friction and wear properties of PET membrane fabrics by MEVVA ion implantation

Abstract Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane fabrics were modified by Ti, W, Ti + N, Cr + N and C + N implantations using a metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) source at an accelerating voltage of 30 kV with doses ranging from 1 × 10 15 to 5 × 10 16  ions cm −2 in TUBITAK Textile Research Center in Izmir. After implantation, changes in the mechanical properties of the samples were investigated. The results indicated that friction coefficient and wear loss values decreased significantly. This decrease depended on the used ion species and the doses. The surface morphologies of samples were examined by SEM and AFM. The changes in chemical structure were observed by IR spectra.