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Effective lubrication between a rotating shaft and its bearing housing is essential in rotating machinery to minimize friction, wear, and energy loss. With carefully controlled thickness and viscosity, the lubricant layer prevents metal-to-metal contact, ensuring smooth operation.
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Updated: Jun 21, 2025

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Robust structural superlubricity under gigapascal pressures.

Taotao Sun1,2,3, Enlai Gao4, Xiangzheng Jia4

  • 1Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

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Structural superlubricity (SSL) demonstrates remarkable pressure resistance in van der Waals contacts. This wear-free state persists under extreme loads, challenging previous understandings of material wear and enabling robust applications.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Tribology
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Structural superlubricity (SSL) is a wear-free, ultralow-friction state observed in van der Waals (vdW) layered materials.
  • The stability of SSL under extreme pressures has not been previously assessed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the robustness and pressure limits of SSL in both self-mated and non-self-mated vdW contacts.
  • To understand the mechanisms governing the breakdown of SSL under high pressure.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental characterization of SSL in graphite-graphite and tungsten-graphite contacts under increasing pressure.
  • Atomistic simulations to elucidate the wear mechanisms at the atomic level.

Main Results:

  • SSL in graphite interfaces maintained up to 9.45 GPa and in tungsten-graphite contacts up to 3.74 GPa.
  • Wear initiated upon exceeding critical pressures, indicating SSL breakdown.
  • Lattice destruction and pressure-assisted bonding at vdW contacts trigger wear via shear-induced tearing.

Conclusions:

  • SSL exhibits exceptional pressure resistance, exceeding expectations for wear-free behavior.
  • Breakdown pressure correlates with bulk modulus and ionization energy, highlighting structural and electronic factors.
  • Findings guide the design of robust SSL-enabled technologies and advance understanding of nanoscale wear.