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Friction 2022, 10(11): 1913-1926 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0581-6
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 30 April 2022

Design and characterization of metallic glass/graphene multilayer with excellent nanowear properties

Show Author's Information Qing ZHOU1,  Dawei LUO1,  Dongpeng HUA1,  Wenting YE1,  Shuo LI1( ),  Qiguang ZOU1,  Ziqiang CHEN2,3( ),  Haifeng WANG1( )
State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Center of Advanced Lubrication and Seal Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, China
Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
Keywords:
metallic glass (MG), multilayer, nanowear properties, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation
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ZHOU Q, LUO D, HUA D, et al. Design and characterization of metallic glass/graphene multilayer with excellent nanowear properties. Friction, 2022, 10(11): 1913-1926. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0581-6
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

The excellent properties of metallic glass (MG) films make them perfect candidates for the use in miniature systems and tools. However, their high coefficients of friction (COFs) and poor wear resistance considerably limit their long-term performance in nanoscale contact. We report the fabrication of a MG/graphene multilayer by the repeated deposition of Cu50Zr50 MG with alternating layers of graphene. The microstructure of the multilayer was characterized by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Its mechanical and nanotribological properties were studied by nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests, respectively. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation revealed that the addition of graphene endowed the MG with superelastic recovery, which reduced friction during nanoscratching. In comparison with the monolithic MG film, the multilayer exhibited improved wear resistance and a low COF in repeated nanowear tests owing to the enhanced mechanical properties and lubricating effect caused by the graphene layer. This work is expected to motivate the design of other novel MG films with excellent nanowear properties for engineering applications.


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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Design and characterization of metallic glass/graphene multilayer with excellent nanowear properties

Show Author's information Qing ZHOU1, Dawei LUO1, Dongpeng HUA1, Wenting YE1, Shuo LI1( ), Qiguang ZOU1, Ziqiang CHEN2,3( ), Haifeng WANG1( )
State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Center of Advanced Lubrication and Seal Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, China
Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

Abstract

The excellent properties of metallic glass (MG) films make them perfect candidates for the use in miniature systems and tools. However, their high coefficients of friction (COFs) and poor wear resistance considerably limit their long-term performance in nanoscale contact. We report the fabrication of a MG/graphene multilayer by the repeated deposition of Cu50Zr50 MG with alternating layers of graphene. The microstructure of the multilayer was characterized by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Its mechanical and nanotribological properties were studied by nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests, respectively. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation revealed that the addition of graphene endowed the MG with superelastic recovery, which reduced friction during nanoscratching. In comparison with the monolithic MG film, the multilayer exhibited improved wear resistance and a low COF in repeated nanowear tests owing to the enhanced mechanical properties and lubricating effect caused by the graphene layer. This work is expected to motivate the design of other novel MG films with excellent nanowear properties for engineering applications.

Keywords: metallic glass (MG), multilayer, nanowear properties, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation

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Publication history

Received: 29 June 2021
Revised: 31 August 2021
Accepted: 01 December 2021
Published: 30 April 2022
Issue date: November 2022

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© The author(s) 2021.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51801161); Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, China (No. 2021A1515010756); the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (No. BK20180266); and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 3102019JC001).

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