Abstract
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.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51527901 and 51335005), the National Key Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No. 2014CB046404) and Tribology Science Fund of State Key Laboratory of Tribology (No. SKLTKF18A02).
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Junyuan MAO. He received his bachelor degree in engineering in 2015 from Wuhan University of Technology, China. Then, he was a M.S. student in State Key Laboratory of Tribology, and received his M.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2018 from Tsinghua University, China. His research interest includes graphene lubrication additives.
Yongyong HE. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from Southeast University, China, in 1994 and 1997, respectively. He joined Tsinghua University from 1999. Now, he is a professor in the State Key Laboratory of Tribology. His research areas cover surface/interface modification, CMP and ultrasmooth surface polishing.
Jun ZHAO. He is an associate professor in College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China. He received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Tsinghua University, China. His research interests are the synthesis of advanced lubricating nanomaterials and applications of antifriction and antiwear materials.
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Mao, J., Chen, G., Zhao, J. et al. An investigation on the tribological behaviors of steel/copper and steel/steel friction pairs via lubrication with a graphene additive. Friction 9, 228–238 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-019-0327-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-019-0327-x