Macroscale superlubricity achieved via hydroxylated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets with ionic liquid at steel/steel interface

Zhiwen ZHENG; Xiaolong LIU; Guowei HUANG; Haijie CHEN; Hongxiang YU; Dapeng FENG; Dan QIAO

doi:10.1007/s40544-021-0545-x

Friction 2022, 10(9): 1365-1381 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0545-x

Research Article |

Open Access | Issue | Published: 04 December 2021

Macroscale superlubricity achieved via hydroxylated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets with ionic liquid at steel/steel interface

Show Author's Information Hide Author's Information Zhiwen ZHENG^{¹^,²}, Xiaolong LIU^¹, Guowei HUANG^³, Haijie CHEN^{¹^,²}, Hongxiang YU^{¹^,²}, Dapeng FENG^¹(

), Dan QIAO^¹(

)

1State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China

2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

3State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Nonferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China

Keywords:

mixed lubrication, ionic liquid (IL), macroscale superlubricity, hydroxylated boron nitride, steel/steel interface

Cite this article:

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, 2022, 10(9): 1365-1381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0545-x

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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 (EG_aq). 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 EG_aq, 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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About this article

Macroscale superlubricity achieved via hydroxylated hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets with ionic liquid at steel/steel interface

Show Author's information Hide Author's Information Zhiwen ZHENG^{¹^,²}, Xiaolong LIU^¹, Guowei HUANG^³, Haijie CHEN^{¹^,²}, Hongxiang YU^{¹^,²}, Dapeng FENG^¹(

), Dan QIAO^¹(

)

1State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China

2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

3State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Nonferrous Metals, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China

Abstract

Keywords: mixed lubrication, ionic liquid (IL), macroscale superlubricity, hydroxylated boron nitride, steel/steel interface

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Received: 10 May 2021

Revised: 18 June 2021

Accepted: 25 July 2021

Published: 04 December 2021

Issue date: September 2022

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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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