Slippery and Wear-Resistant Surfaces Enabled by Interface Engineered Graphene

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Tribology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Friction and wear cause significant mechanical energy loss and system failures.
• Graphene shows promise as a solid lubricant, but research is limited to nanoscale applications and specific surfaces.
• Graphene's effectiveness decreases with increasing surface roughness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore graphene's tribological performance at micro- and macroscopic scales across diverse surfaces.
• To develop and evaluate novel graphene-based coatings for enhanced friction and wear reduction.
• To understand the mechanisms behind the improved performance of engineered graphene coatings.

Main Methods:

• Investigated graphene's tribological behavior on various surfaces at micro- and macroscales.
• Developed and tested graphene/silicon nitride (SiN) bilayer overcoats (3 nm).
• Utilized nanoscale characterization and atomistic simulations to analyze coating performance and mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Graphene performance degrades on rougher surfaces.
• Graphene/SiN bilayer coatings achieved the lowest microscale friction and wear on poor-quality flat surfaces.
• A two-layer graphene/SiN lubricant (<4 nm) demonstrated exceptional macroscale wear durability on a tape-head surface, surpassing thicker coatings.

Conclusions:

• Engineered graphene/SiN coatings provide superior lubrication compared to bare graphene.
• These ultrathin coatings offer significant improvements in friction reduction and wear resistance across different scales and surface types.
• The findings suggest potential for advanced graphene-based coatings in various technological applications.