Mechanochemical preparation of core-shell structured hydrophobic UHMWPE-onion-like carbon composites

•We employ a solvent-free mechanochemical process consisting of milling at 250 rpm for 60 min.•UHMWPE-OLC composites mimicked the core-shell structure with effective dispersion of OLC in the UHMWPE matrix.•Hydrophobicity of UHMWPE was increased by about 19% for 5 wt.% of OLC without affecting its integral fibril configuration.