Advances in studies of the tribological behavior of molecular deposition films

An overview of the advances in studies on tribology of molecular deposition （MD） films is presented here to summarize the studies of nanofrictional properties, adhesion, wear and mechanical behavior, as well as the molecular dynamics simulation of nanotribological properties of the film in the last decade. Some key research topics which need to be investigate further are addressed.

Characterization and Tribological Behavior of Octadecene,Dodecene and Undecenoic Acid Films on Si Substrate

The films of octadecene, dodecene, and undecenoic acid were prepared on H-terminated Si surface in the presence of ultraviolet irradiation. The resulted films were characterized with water-contact angle measurement and infrared spectroscopy. The friction-reducing behavior of the prepared films was examined on a static-dynamic friction coefficient measurement apparatus and on an atomic force microscope. It was found that all the reacted films on the Si substrate showed good friction-reducing ability; especially, the film of the octadecene exhibited the best friction-reducing ability. This was attributed to the transfer of the reacted films onto the counter face with formation of a transfer film on the counterpart surface, which led to the transformation of the sliding between the reacted films and the hard ceramic to fiat between the reacted films and its transfer film on the counterpart surface. The macroscopic and microscopic friction behaviors of the prepared films were dependent on their molecular chain lengths. Thus the octadecene reacted film with the highest degree of ordering arrangement showed the best friction-reducing and antiwear abilities in sliding against Si3N4.

Vacuum current-carrying tribological behavior of MoS2-Ti films with different conductivities

Current-carrying sliding is widely applied in aerospace equipment,but it is limited by the poor lubricity of the present materials and the unclear tribological mechanism.This study demonstrated the potential of MoS_(2)-based materials with excellent lubricity as space sliding electrical contact materials by doping Ti to improve its conductivity.The tribological behavior of MoS_(2)-Ti films under current-carrying sliding in vacuum was studied by establishing a simulation evaluating device.Moreover,the noncurrent-carrying sliding and static current-carrying experiments in vacuum were carried out for comparison to understand the tribological mechanism.In addition to mechanical wear,the current-induced arc erosion and thermal effect take important roles in accelerating the wear.Arc erosion is caused by the accumulation of electric charge,which is related to the conductivity of the film.While the current-thermal effect softens the film,causing strong adhesive wear,and good conductivity and the large contact area are beneficial for minimizing the thermal effect.So the moderate hardness and good conductivity of MoS_(2)-Ti film contribute to its excellent current-carrying tribological behavior in vacuum,showing a significant advantage compared with the traditional ones.

Comprehensive modeling strategy for thermomechanical tribological behavior analysis of railway vehicle disc brake system

A comprehensive modeling strategy for studying the thermomechanical tribological behaviors is proposed in this work.The wear degradation considering the influence of temperature(T)is predicted by Archard wear model with the help of the UMESHMOTION subroutine and arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian(ALE)remeshing technique.Adopting the proposed method,the thermomechanical tribological behaviors of railway vehicle disc brake system composed of forged steel brake disc and Cu-based powder metallurgy(PM)friction block are studied systematically.The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is validated by experimental test on a self-designed scaled brake test bench from the perspectives of interface temperature,wear degradation,friction noise and vibration,and contact status evolution.This work can provide an effective way for the investigation of thermomechanical tribological behaviors in the engineering field.

Tribological behavior of shape memory cyanate ester materials and their tunable friction mechanism

High-performance polymer friction materials with tunable tribological behavior to fit varied work conditions remain a challenge of widespread interest for a variety of applications.Shape memory polymer exhibits morphing and modulus changing over temperature changing provides a promising material to adjust the friction process.Herein,we investigated the tribological properties of shape memory cyanate ester(SMCE)under different conditions.The SMCE exhibits the tribological behavior of good friction material with stable high coefficient of friction(COF)and a low wear rate.Besides,the COF increases and wear rate decreases with the temperature increasing show the tunable friction property of the SMCE.We propose a new model of wear-compensation through shape recovery to explain the adjustable friction behavior of thermal-responsive polymer from the aspect of shape recovery and energy conversion.This study provides a high-performance friction material and paves the route for the application of shape memory polymer(SMP)in tribology field with tunable property.

Tribological behavior of black phosphorus nanosheets as water-based lubrication additives

Black phosphorus(BP)with a layered structure has been used gradually as a lubrication additive in the tribological area.In this study,BP powders are produced via an easy method of high-energy ball milling using red phosphorus as a raw material.Subsequently,BP nanosheets are prepared via liquid exfoliation in N-methyl pyrolidone solvent.The tribological behavior of BP nanosheets as water-based lubrication additives(BP-WL)is evaluated under Ti6Al4V(TC4)/GCr15 contact.The results suggest that the 70 mg/L BP-WL sample exhibits excellent lubrication performance,whose coefficient of friction(COF)and ball wear rate reduced by 32.4%and 61.1%,respectively,compared with those of pure water.However,as the load increased,the tribological properties of BP-WL reduced gradually because of the agglomeration of BP nanosheets.Based on tribological experiments and worn surface analysis,boundary lubrication mechanisms are proposed.The friction reduced,which is primarily attributed to the low interlaminar shear and adsorption of BP nanosheets.In addition,a tribochemical reaction film comprising TiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),and Fe_(2)O_(3)effectively protects the surface of titanium alloy/steel from wear.This new water-based lubrication additive can be used to process titanium alloys.

Tribological behavior of nanocarbon materials with different dimensions in aqueous systems

Due to the widespread use of nanocarbon materials(NCMs),more researchers are studying their tribological performances.In this work,the tribological behaviors of the following five types of NCMs with different geometric shapes were evaluated in a novel oil‐in‐water system:spherical fullerenes(C60,0D),tubular multi‐walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNT,1D),sheet graphene oxide(GO,2D),sheet graphene oxide derivative(Oct‐O‐GO,2D),and lamellar graphite(G,3D).Among these,GO with two types of oxidation degrees,i.e.,GO(1),GO(2),and Oct‐O‐GO(1)were synthesized and characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy,Raman spectroscopy,x‐ray diffraction,thermogravimetric analysis,scanning electron microscopy,and contact angle measurements.The load‐carrying capacity of the NCM emulsions were evaluated using a four‐ball test machine,and the lubrication performances were investigated using a high‐frequency reciprocating friction and wear tester with a sliding distance of 1,800 mm under different loads(50 N and 100 N)at 0.5 Hz.The results revealed that the Oct‐O‐GO(1)emulsion exhibited the best load‐carrying capacity,and the best friction‐reducing and anti‐wear properties compared to other emulsions.Moreover,the anti‐wear advantage was more prominent under high load conditions,whereas the other emulsions exhibited a certain degree of abrasive or adhesive wear.The lubrication mechanism was determined through the analysis of worn surfaces using scanning electron microscopy/energy‐dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy,micro‐Raman spectroscopy,and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The results revealed that during frictional sliding,the ingredients in the emulsion can absorb and react with the freshly exposed metal surface to form surface‐active films to protect the surfaces from abrasion.Moreover,it was found that the higher the amount of ingredients that contain alkyl and O‐H/C=O,the better was the lubrication performance in addition to an increase in the carbon residue in the tribofilm generated on the meal surface.

High-temperature tribological behaviors of a Cr-Si co-alloyed layer on TA15 alloy

A Cr-Si co-alloyed layer was successfully deposited on TA15 alloy by the double glow plasma surface technology to improve its poor wear resistance at elevated temperature.The microstructure,composition,and phase structure of the layer were investigated by SEM,EDS,and XRD.The tribological behaviors of the Cr-Si co-alloyed layer at 20 ℃ and 500 ℃ were analyzed in details.The results indicated that the friction coefficient and wear rate of the Cr-Si coalloyed layer at 20 ℃ and 500 ℃ were much lower than those of the substrate,which was due to higher hardness and superior elastic modulus.This layer may become an approach to effectively improving the wear resistance of TA15 alloy at elevated temperature.

Effect of K2TiO(C2O4)2 Addition in Electrolyte on the Microstructure and Tribological Behavior of Micro-Arc Oxidation Coatings on Aluminum Alloy

Micro-arc oxidation （MAO） coatings with different concentrations of K2TiO（C2O4）2 in the sodium silicate base electrolyte were prepared on 6061 aluminum alloy with the aim of promoting a better understanding of the formation mechanisms and tribological behaviors of the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） assisted with energy-dis- persive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and friction test were employed to charac- terize the MAO processes and microstructure of the resultant coatings. Results showed that the composition and microstructure of the coatings were significantly affected by the addition of KETiO（CaO4）2. A sealing microstructure of MAO coating was obtained with the addition of K2TiO（C2O4）2. Ti element from K2TiO（C2O4）2 was only absorbed into the defects of micropores under surface energy in the early stage, while in the later stage, Ti element was predominant in the micropores and distributed on the coatings under plasma discharge to form TiO2. It was demonstrated that Ti and Si elements from the electrolyte could interact with each other during the MAO process and the interaction mechanism was systematically analyzed. Wear resistance of the MAO coatings with K2TiO（C2O4）2 addition was significantly improved compared with that of the MAO coatings without K2TiO（C2O4）2 addition.

Elevated-temperature tribological behavior of Ti–B–C–N coatings deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

Quaternary Ti–B–C–N coatings with various carbon contents were deposited on high-speed steel (HSS) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering (RMS) system. The elevated-temperature tribological behavior of Ti–B–C–N coatings was explored using pin-on-disk tribometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The present results show that the steady-state friction coefficient value and the instantaneous friction coefficient fluctuation range of Ti–B–C–N coatings decrease as carbon content increases at 100 and 300°C, while the steady-state friction coefficient value of all Ti–B–C–N coatings becomes higher than 0.4 at 500°C. As ambient temperature increases, the running-in periods of all Ti–B–C–N coatings become shorter. Wear damage to Ti–B–C–N coatings during sliding at elevated temperature is mainly caused by adhesive wear, and adhesive-wear damage to Ti–B–C–N coatings increases as ambient temperature increases; however, higher carbon content is beneficial for decreasing the adhesive-wear damage to Ti–B–C–N coatings during sliding at elevated temperature.

An investigation on the tribological behaviors of steel/copper and steel/steel friction pairs via lubrication with a graphene additive

In this study,the tribological behaviors of graphene as a lubricant additive for steel/copper and steel/steel friction pairs were compared.For the steel/copper friction pair,the graphene sheets remarkably decreased the coefficient of friction and wear scar depth under low loads,but these slightly increased under high loads.The steel/steel friction pair showed excellent tribological properties even under high loads.Severe plastic deformation on the copper surface reduced the stability of the graphene tribofilm because of a rough copper transfer film on the steel during the running-in period.The results provide a better understanding of the mechanism of graphene as a lubricant additive.

Effect of Replacing Vanadium by Niobium and Iron on the Tribological Behavior of HIPed Titanium Alloys

This study aims to examine the effect of replacing vanadium by niobium and iron on the tribological behavior of hot-isostatic-pressed titanium alloy （Ti-6Al-4V） biomaterial, using a ball-on-disk-type oscillating tribometer, under wet conditions using physiological solution in accordance with the ISO7148 standards. The tests were carried out under a normal load of 6 N, with an AISI 52100 grade steel ball as a counter face. The morphological changes and structural evolution of the nanoparticle powders using different milling times （2, 6, 12 and 18 h） were studied. The morphological characterization indicated that the particle and crystallite size continuously decrease with increasing milling time to reach the lowest value of 4 nm at 18-h milling. The friction coefficient and wear rate were lower in the samples milled at 18 h （0.226, 0.297 and 0.423; and 0.66 × 10-2, 0.87 × 10-2 and 1.51 × 10-2 μm3 N-1 i, tm-1） for Ti-6Al-4Fe, Ti-6A1-7Nb and Ti-6Al-4V, respectively. This improvement in friction and wear resistance is attributed to the grain refinement at 18-h milling. The Ti-6Al-4Fe samples showed good tribological performance for all milling times.

Tribological behavior and microstructural evolution of lubricating film of silver matrix self-lubricating nanocomposite

The aim of this study is to fabricate the nanocomposite with low friction and high wear resistance using binary solid lubricant particles.The microstructure and tribological performance of the nanocomposite are evaluated,and the composition and film thickness of the lubricating film are observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The nanocomposite exhibited improved tribological properties with a friction coefficient as low as 0.12 and a low wear rate of 2.17×10^(-6) mm^(3)/(N∙m)in high‐purity nitrogen atmosphere.Decreasing sliding speed can increase lubricating film thickness,and the thickest lubricating film is approximately 125 nm.As the film thickness of the lubricating film exceeded 90 nm,the friction coefficient curves became smooth.In compared with WS_(2),MoS_(2) can be more effective in forming the transfer layer on the worn surfaces at the initial stage of the tribological process.

Comparative tribological behavior of friction composites containing natural graphite and expanded graphite

In this study, expanded graphite and natural graphite were introduced into resin-based friction materials, and the tribological behavior of the composites was investigated. The tribo-performance of the two friction composites was evaluated using a constant speed friction tester. The results showed that the expanded graphite composite (EGC) displayed better lubricity in both the fading and the recovery processes. The wear rate of the EGC decreased by 22.43%more than that of the natural graphite composite (NGC). In the fading process, and the EGC enhanced the stability of the coefficient of friction. The recovery maintenance rate of the NGC was 4.66% higher than that of the EGC. It can be concluded that expanded graphite plays an important role in the formation of a stable contact plateau and can effectively reduce the wear.

A molecular dynamics study on the tribological behavior of molybdenum disulfide with grain boundary defects during scratching processes

The effect of grain boundary(GB)defects on the tribological properties of MoS_(2) has been investigated by molecular dynamics(MD)simulations.The GB defects‐containing MoS_(2) during scratching process shows a lower critical breaking load than that of indentation process,owing to the combined effect of pushing and interlocking actions between the tip and MoS_(2) atoms.The wear resistance of MoS_(2) with GB defects is relevant to the misorientation angle due to the accumulation of long Mo-S bonds around the GBs.Weakening the adhesion strength between the MoS_(2) and substrate is an efficient way to improve the wear resistance of MoS_(2) with low‐angle GBs.

Formulation of lyotropic liquid crystal emulsion based on natural sucrose ester and its tribological behavior as novel lubricant

The tribological behavior of oil-in-water emulsions formulated with natural lyotropic liquid crystal(LLC)emulsifiers based on natural sucrose ester was studied for the first time.Polarized optical microscopy,synchrotron radiation small-angle X-ray scattering,wide-angle X-ray scattering,and synchrotron radiation infrared microspectroscopy demonstrated that LLC emulsifiers were tightly ordered at the oil–water interface with a distinct nematic texture.The viscosity of emulsion was observed to change over time.Moreover,the zeta potential and laser particle size distribution verified the emulsion’s satisfactory stability.The frictional shearing test proved that the coefficient of friction of the emulsion versus pure oil decreased by 34.2%.The coefficient of friction of the emulsion with liquid crystal decreased 10.1%versus that without liquid crystal.Although liquid crystal emulsion did not exhibit outstanding anti-wear performance compared with pure oil,its wear volume was 29.4%less than the emulsion without liquid crystal.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(SEM–EDS)proved that the tribo-film of the emulsion with liquid crystal was formed synergistically by the liquid crystal phase with the base oil.The formulation affecting the lubricant quality was further studied by orthogonal experiments.The resulting Stribeck curve behavior suggested that proper composition with a slightly higher viscosity can better reduce friction in both boundary lubrication and mixed lubrication regimes.The lubrication mechanism indicated that the periodically ordered liquid crystal was transported to the sliding asperity in the form of emulsion droplets,which bored the pressure and released the oil to form a tribo-film.This LLC emulsion is environmentally friendly and potentially non-irritant to the skin.Thus,it has promising application prospects as novel water-based and biological lubricants.

Tribological behavior of WC-Al_(2)O_(3)-graphene composite at different temperatures

WC-Al_(2)O_(3)-graphene composite powder was synthesized by ultrasonic treatment and ball milling,then consolidated by hot pressing sintering(HPS).For potential applications,the friction coefficient and wear resistance of the sintered bulks at different temperatures(room temperature,200,400,and 600℃)were investigated.The wear tracks were characterized by scanning electron microscope,energy dispersive spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,respectively.The results show that the friction coefficient decreases and the wear rate increases with the increase of temperature,mainly because oxidization wear occurs on the wear surface of WC-Al_(2)O_(3)-graphene composite under high temperature.The main wear mechanism is the destruction and formation of tribochemical compacted layer.Graphene reduces the wear rate of WC-Al_(2)O_(3)-graphene composite under high tampere.The reason is that graphene reduces oxidation wear by blocking or absorbing oxygen;moreover,graphene reduces the cycle frequency of damage and reconstruction of tribochemical compacted layer by reducing the peeling of it.

Surface Characterization and Tribology Behavior of PMMA Processed by Excimer Laser

Polyoxymethylene methacrylate (PMMA) is widely used in ophthalmic biomaterials. Misuse of PMMA in extreme environments is likely to damage the ocular surface and intraocular structures. The surface characterization and tribological behavior of PMMA processed using an excimer laser were investigated in this study by contrasting diferent lubrication conditions and friction cycles. The results show that the roughness of the material surface increases with laser processing, which changes its physical structure. Under lubrication, the laser-treated PMMA exhibits better hydrophilicity, especially during the use of eye drops. No obvious relationship exists between the laser-processing time and friction behavior. However, the laser treatment may contribute to the formation of friction and wear mechanisms of PMMA materials. Laser-treated PMMA in saline solution exhibits better abrasive resistance by showing a lower wear rate than that in eye drops, although it has a higher friction coefcient. In this study, the diferent friction stages in laser-treated PMMA were clarifed under two lubrication conditions. The wear rates of the laser-treated PMMA were found to decrease with the number of cycles, and the friction coefcient has a similar variation tendency. The wear behavior of the laser-treated PMMA is dominated by the main abrasive wear and secondary transferred flm formation. This study provides a theoretical basis for the development and application of ophthalmic biomaterials in complex environments by examining the material surface interface behavior and wear mechanism after laser processing using PMMA as the research matrix.

Friction and Wear Behavior of Ti-6Al-7Nb Biomaterial Alloy

Titanium has been increasingly applied to biomedical application because of its improved mechanical characteristics, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. However their application remains limited, due to the low strength and poor wear resistance of unalloyed titanium. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the friction and wear behavior of high-strength titanium alloys: Ti-6Al-7Nb used in femoral stem (total hip prosthesis). The oscillating friction and wear tests have been carried out in ambient air with oscillating tribotester in accord with standards ISO 7148, ASTM G99-95a, ASTM G 133-95 under different conditions of normal applied load (3, 6 and 10 N) and sliding speed (1, 15 and 25 mm.s-1), and as a counter pair we used the ball of 100C 6, 10 mm of diameter. The surface morphology of the titanium alloys has been characterized by SEM, EDAX, micro hardness, roughness analysis measurements. The behavior observed for both samples suggests that the wear and friction mechanism during the test is the same for Ti alloys, and to increase resistance to wear and friction of biomedical titanium alloys used in total hip prosthesis (femoral stems) the surface coating and treatment are required.

Characterization and Properties of Duplex a-C:H/MAO Coatings on Magnesium Alloy using Combined Microarc Oxidation and Hybrid Magnetron Sputtering

The combined microarc oxidation （MAO） and magnetron sputtering deposition process was used to deposit duplex a-C：H/MAO and Ti-a-C：H/MAO coatings on AM80 magnesium alloy. The microstructure, mechanical properties and tribological behavior of the two duplex coatings were investigated. The experimental results showed that the a-C：H and Ti-a-C：H top films on Si substrates were dense and had a low G peak position and ID/IG ratio, compared with the hydrogen-free amorphous carbon films. Numerous micropores were found on the duplex a-C：H/MAO and Ti-a-C：H/MAO coatings together with low values of hardness （H） and elastic modulus （E）, which also showed good binding strength with the Mg alloy substrates. Compared to MAO treated substrate used for the protection of the Mg alloy, the duplex a-C：H/MAO and Ti-a- C：H/MAO coatings still had stable and low value of friction coefficient, even though the surface of the duplex coatings was rough and porous. Furthermore, the mechanism of friction reduction of the two duplex coatings on the Mg alloy substrates was discussed.