Macroscale superlubricity by a sacrificial carbon nanotube coating

Kumara Ihala Gamaralalage, Chanaka; Lance, Michael J.; Qu, Jun

doi:10.1016/j.mtnano.2022.100297

Macroscale superlubricity by a sacrificial carbon nanotube coating

Journal Article · Thu Dec 15 23:00:00 EST 2022 · Materials Today Nano

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtnano.2022.100297· OSTI ID:1994740

^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Superlubricity, i.e., coefficient of friction (COF) below 0.01, was earlier limited to microscale in controlled environments in the earlier literature and more recently realized for macroscale sliding of ceramic or carbon surfaces lubricated by water or other polar fluids. However, there is lack of report of superlubricity for the most common bearing system, i.e., steel-steel contact in non-polar oil lubrication. Here, in this work, we present ultra-low COF of 0.001–0.007 by using a sacrificial coating composed of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for macroscale steel-steel sliding under minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) of a polyalphaolefin (PAO) oil in the ambient environment. Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy analyses detected graphene-containing tribofilms on both the steel surfaces, which was produced by the fractured CNT flakes and metallic wear debris during running-in. The in situ formed graphene-graphene contact interface presumably possesses a low shear resistance leading to superlubricity. The presence of oil, despite as little as one droplet, has proven to be crucial. Such a superlubricity performance has shown good sustainability in extended testing of more than 500,000 cycles and strong ability of accommodating changes in sliding conditions. Results here demonstrate feasibility with fundamental insights for achieving ambient environment macroscale superlubricity.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1994740

Journal Information:: Materials Today Nano, Journal Name: Materials Today Nano Vol. 21; ISSN 2588-8420

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (32)

Carbon Nanotube Sponges Gui, Xuchun; Wei, Jinquan; Wang, Kunlin Advanced Materials, Vol. 22, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.200902986	journal	February 2010
Ultralow Friction with Hydrophilic Polymer Brushes in Water as Segregated from Silicone Matrix Røn, Troels; Javakhishvili, Irakli; Hvilsted, Søren Advanced Materials Interfaces, Vol. 3, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201500472	journal	November 2015
Assembling of carbon nanotubes film responding to significant reduction wear and friction on steel surface Zhang, Bin; Xue, Yong; Qiang, Li Applied Nanoscience, Vol. 7, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-017-0622-7	journal	October 2017
Experimental advances in superlubricity Zheng, Quanshui; Liu, Ze Friction, Vol. 2, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-014-0056-0	journal	June 2014
Dynamics of friction: superlubric state Shinjo, Kazumasa; Hirano, Motohisa Surface Science, Vol. 283, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0039-6028(93)91022-H	journal	March 1993
Tribological properties of carbon nanotube bundles predicted from atomistic simulations Ni, Boris; Sinnott, Susan B. Surface Science, Vol. 487, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-6028(01)01073-1	journal	July 2001
Tribological properties of carbon nanotubes as lubricant additive in oil and water for a wheel–rail system Cornelio, Jesús Antonio Carlos; Cuervo, Paula Andrea; Hoyos-Palacio, Lina Marcela Journal of Materials Research and Technology, Vol. 5, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2015.10.006	journal	January 2016
Verification of the changes in the structural and physical properties of PU/PEO embedded with graphene oxide Hamam, Kholoud A.; Gaabour, L. H. Results in Physics, Vol. 7 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2017.07.016	journal	January 2017
On the nature of running-in Blau, Peter J. Tribology International, Vol. 38, Issue 11-12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2005.07.020	journal	November 2005
Achieving superlubricity using selected tribo-pairs lubricated by castor oil and unsaturated fatty acids Long, Yun; Galipaud, Jules; Weihnacht, Volker Tribology International, Vol. 169 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2022.107462	journal	May 2022
Investigation on the lubrication potential of graphene oxide aqueous dispersion for self-mated stainless steel tribo-pair Singh, Sudesh; Chen, Xinchun; Zhang, Chenhui Vacuum, Vol. 166 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vacuum.2019.05.015	journal	August 2019
Friction and wear property of a-CNx coatings sliding against Si3N4 balls in water Zhou, Fei; Wang, Xiaolei; Kato, Koji Wear, Vol. 263, Issue 7-12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2006.11.048	journal	September 2007
Vectorial Crystal Growth of Oriented Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes Using Statistical Analysis Yousefi, Amin T.; Tanaka, Hirofumi; Bagheri, Samira Crystal Growth & Design, Vol. 15, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.5b00534	journal	June 2015
In Situ Synthesis of Graphene Nitride Nanolayers on Glycerol-Lubricated Si₃N₄ for Superlubricity Applications Long, Yun; Kuwahara, Takuya; De Barros Bouchet, Maria-Isabel ACS Applied Nano Materials, Vol. 4, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.0c03362	journal	February 2021
Carbon Nanotubes and Related Nanomaterials: Critical Advances and Challenges for Synthesis toward Mainstream Commercial Applications Rao, Rahul; Pint, Cary L.; Islam, Ahmad E. ACS Nano, Vol. 12, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.8b06511	journal	November 2018
Highly Reliable Superhydrophobic Surface with Carbon Nanotubes Immobilized on a PDMS/Adhesive Multilayer Jung, Kyung Kuk; Jung, Young; Choi, Chang Jun ACS Omega, Vol. 3, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.7b01872	journal	October 2018
Superlubricity Achieved with Mixtures of Acids and Glycerol Li, Jinjin; Zhang, Chenhui; Ma, Liran Langmuir, Vol. 29, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1021/la3046115	journal	December 2012
Nanometre-scale rolling and sliding of carbon nanotubes Falvo, M. R.; Taylor II, R. M.; Helser, A. Nature, Vol. 397, Issue 6716 https://doi.org/10.1038/16662	journal	January 1999
Lubrication by charged polymers Raviv, Uri; Giasson, Suzanne; Kampf, Nir Nature, Vol. 425, Issue 6954 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01970	journal	September 2003
Origins of hydration lubrication Ma, Liran; Gaisinskaya-Kipnis, Anastasia; Kampf, Nir Nature Communications, Vol. 6, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7060	journal	January 2015
Superlubricity in centimetres-long double-walled carbon nanotubes under ambient conditions Zhang, Rufan; Ning, Zhiyuan; Zhang, Yingying Nature Nanotechnology, Vol. 8, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2013.217	journal	November 2013
Raman spectroscopy of graphene-based materials and its applications in related devices Wu, Jiang-Bin; Lin, Miao-Ling; Cong, Xin Chemical Society Reviews, Vol. 47, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1039/C6CS00915H	journal	January 2018
Emerging superlubricity: A review of the state of the art and perspectives on future research Baykara, Mehmet Z.; Vazirisereshk, Mohammad R.; Martini, Ashlie Applied Physics Reviews, Vol. 5, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5051445	journal	December 2018
Friction and Wear of Silicon Nitride and Silicon Carbide in Water: Hydrodynamic Lubrication at Low Sliding Speed Obtained by Tribochemical Wear Tomizawa, H.; Fischer, T. E. A S L E Transactions, Vol. 30, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1080/05698198708981728	journal	January 1987
Prediction of Scuffing Failure Based on Competitive Kinetics of Oxide Formation and Removal: Application to Lubricated Sliding of AISI 52100 Steel on Steel Cutiongco, Eric C.; Chung, Yip-Wah Tribology Transactions, Vol. 37, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1080/10402009408983338	journal	January 1994
Superlubricity and tribochemistry of polyhydric alcohols Matta, C.; Joly-Pottuz, L.; De Barros Bouchet, M. I. Physical Review B, Vol. 78, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.78.085436	journal	August 2008
Macroscale superlubricity enabled by graphene nanoscroll formation Berman, D.; Deshmukh, S. A.; Sankaranarayanan, S. K. R. S. Science, Vol. 348, Issue 6239 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1262024	journal	May 2015
Effect of Size of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Dispersed in Gear Oils for Improvement of Tribological Properties Chebattina, Kodanda Rama Rao; Srinivas, V.; Rao, N. Mohan Advances in Tribology, Vol. 2018 https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2328108	journal	October 2018
Carbon Nanotube Assembly and Integration for Applications Venkataraman, Anusha; Amadi, Eberechukwu Victoria; Chen, Yingduo Nanoscale Research Letters, Vol. 14, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-019-3046-3	journal	July 2019
Detecting the onset of localized scuffing in a pin-on-twin fuel-lubricated test for heavy-duty diesel fuel injectors Qu, J.; Truhan, J. J.; Blau, P. J. International Journal of Engine Research, Vol. 6, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1243/146808705X7356	journal	February 2005
Controllable and Large-Scale Synthesis of Carbon Nanostructures: A Review on Bamboo-Like Nanotubes Jia, Zirui; Kou, Kaichang; Qin, Ming Catalysts, Vol. 7, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.3390/catal7090256	journal	August 2017
Superlow Friction of a-C:H Coatings in Vacuum: Passivation Regimes and Structural Characterization of the Sliding Interfaces Kuwahara, Takuya; Long, Yun; De Barros Bouchet, Maria-Isabel Coatings, Vol. 11, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11091069	journal	September 2021

Similar Records

Superlubricity in rolling/sliding contacts

Journal Article · Mon Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Applied Physics Letters · OSTI ID:1560540

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CNTs
Graphene
Minimum quantity lubrication
Steel-steel sliding
Ultra-low friction

Macroscale superlubricity by a sacrificial carbon nanotube coating

Citation Formats

References (32)

Similar Records

Related Subjects