Abstract
Macroscale superlubricity is a prospective strategy in modern tribology to dramatically reduce friction and wear of mechanical equipment; however, it is mainly studied for point-to-surface contact or special friction pairs in experiments. In this study, a robust macroscale superlubricity for point-to-point contact on a steel interface was achieved for the first time by using hydroxylated modified boron nitride nanosheets with proton-type ionic liquids (ILs) as additives in ethylene glycol aqueous (EGaq). The detailed superlubricity process and mechanism were revealed by theoretical calculations and segmented experiments. The results indicate that hydration originating from hydrated ions can significantly reduce the shear stress of EGaq, which plays an essential role in achieving superlubricity. Moreover, the IL induces a tribochemical reaction to form a friction-protective film. Hydroxylated boron nitride nanosheets (HO-BNNs) function as a polishing and self-repairing agent to disperse the contact stress between friction pairs. Superlubricity involves the change in lubrication state from boundary lubrication to mixed lubrication. This finding can remarkably extend the application of superlubricity for point-to-point contact on steel surfaces for engineering applications.
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The authors are gratefully for the financial support provided by the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (2021422).
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Dapeng FENG. He received his Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry in 2001 from Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He is a professor at the State Key Lab of Solid Lubrication in Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 journal papers. His research interests are high performance lubricating oil and grease and additives. He has gained a number of awards including “Second prize of National Technical Invention” and “Technology Invention Award of Gansu Province”.
Dan QIAO. She received her Ph.D. degree in material science in 2014 from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. She is an associate professor at the State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication in the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. She has authored or co-authored more than 30 journal papers. Her research interests are ionic liquids lubricants and tribology chemistry.
Zhiwen ZHENG. He received his B.S. degree from the China University of Mining and Technology, 2016. He got his M.S. degree at the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS, China, 2019. Now, he continues to study for a Ph.D. degree in the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. His current scientific interests are devoted to macroscale liquid superlubricity and novel environmentally lubricating additives.
Xiaolong LIU. He received his M.S. degree in 2019 from the Shandong Normal University. After graduation, he was employed by Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. His scientific interests are mainly focused on the design, preparation, and tribo-chemistry of high-performance lubricant.
Guowei HUANG. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2017 from the State Key Laboratory of solid lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. Now, he is a research assistant at Lanzhou University of Technology. His research interests include the design and preparation of novel ionic liquids as lubricant and lubricating additives.
Haijie CHEN. She is a Ph.D. student at the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. Her ongoing research focuses on assembly lubrication film of 2D materials.
Hongxiang YU. He received his B.S. degree in 2018 from the Shandong Normal University. Now, he is studying for a Ph.D. degree in Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. His current scientific interests are devoted to mechanism and kinetic analysis of tribochemical reaction of lubricants, as well as novel lubricant additives.
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Macroscale superlubricity achieved via hydroxylated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets with ionic liquid at steel/steel interface
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Zheng, Z., Liu, X., Huang, G. et al. Macroscale superlubricity achieved via hydroxylated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets with ionic liquid at steel/steel interface. Friction 10, 1365–1381 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0545-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0545-x