Tribological performance of electrically conductive and self-lubricating polypropylene-ionic-liquid composites.

In this work, self-lubricating and electrically conductive polymers on a polypropylene (PP) matrix were prepared and investigated. These properties were obtained by additivating PP with carbon black (CB) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), in combination with a surface active ionic liquid (IL, trihexyltetradecylphosphonium docusate [P66614][DOC]). These polymeric composites are expected to achieve coefficients of friction (COFs) comparable to lubricated systems. Combined with electrical conductivity, these materials could be applied in electrically loaded tribosystems. The COF was reduced by up to 25% compared to that of plain PP, and high electrical conductivity and self-lubrication were achieved. Fundamental differences between the carbon-based fillers in their interaction with IL were investigated with high-resolution surface analysis (TEM, AFM) and Raman and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. By varying the tribological test parameters, the application limits of self-lubrication were identified. It was demonstrated that the contact pressure has a strong influence on the COF. Therefore, this work points to potential applications in (e.g. 3D-printed) bearings and electrically loaded bearings where electrical conductivity and relatively low COFs are required.

Influence of Graphene Type and Content on Friction and Wear of Silicon Carbide/Graphene Nanocomposites in Aqueous Environment.

Two different types of graphene materials were used as functional nanofillers for the mechanical and tribological improvement of silicon carbide/graphene nanocomposites. On the one hand is thermally reduced graphite oxide (TRGO) reduced at three different temperatures, and on the other hand is graphene made of three different organic precursors, which were directly coated on silicon carbide (SiC) platelets (GSiC). Additionally, benchmark materials were also used as carbon fillers. The SiC/graphene nanocomposites with 2 wt% filler content were manufactured by pressureless sintering (PLS). Some composites were produced with higher graphene contents of 4% and 8% and sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Microstructural analyses were conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Underwater lubrication, the SP sintered TRGO and GSiC materials with high graphene content have shown the most promising tribological performance. Furthermore, the reduced size of the homogeneously distributed nanoparticles promotes the formation of surface states, which improve the friction and wear properties.

Fracture toughness of 3Y-TZP ceramic measured by the Chevron-Notch Beam method: A round-robin study.

OBJECTIVE: This interlaboratory round robin test investigated the robustness of the Chevron-Notch Beam (CNB) test method and the effect of the processing and testing variations on the fracture toughness of a dental 3Y-TZP ceramic. METHODS: The round robin test was performed precisely following the procedures recommended in ISO 24370:2005 and applied on a commercial 3Y-TZP ceramic (product information). A total of 335 test specimens with dimensions 3×4 x 45 mm³ was equally distributed among 10 participating laboratories of varying experience in fracture toughness testing. A standard operating procedure was defined with either narrow processing tolerances or alternative (wider) processing tolerances (as proposed in ISO 24370). Fracture toughness data (series 2) was analyzed using one way ANOVA followed by post hoc Tukey HSD test and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were computed (p < 0.05). A further, preceding round-robin (series 1) test was conducted with - more possible variations of test conditions regarding CNB notch processing and storage conditions. Those results are summarized in the supplement and discussed with the actual ISO 24370 test. RESULTS: Fracture toughness of the 3Y-TZP ceramic material, summarized over all laboratories was measured to KIc = 4.48 ± 0.11 MPam0.5 for the standard processing tolerance and KIc = 4.55 ± 0.31 MPam0.5 for the alternative tolerance. The results revealed a significant influence of cutting offset and notch geometry on KIc when using CNB method. The test medium also has a significant influence on KIc in terms of reduced fracture toughness under the influence of water. With defined testing conditions the number of valid tests and reduced standard deviation increased. In case of strictly following such standard operation procedures, KIc can be determined with high reliability. There is no difference between the involved laboratories, but significant influence of cutting offset on KIC was observed. SIGNIFICANCE: The CNB method is suitable method for determination of KIc on fine-grained ceramics such as 3Y-TZP ceramic. By using tighter tolerances for processing and testing, i.e. closely following the ISO 24370 procedure, a highly-precise evaluation of fracture toughness with low data variation is achievable. The information of the storage medium should always be reported along with the data. CNB fracture toughness testing is an alternative method compared to Single-edge V-notch beam (SEVNB), especially for fine-grained ceramics.

Towards programmable friction: control of lubrication with ionic liquid mixtures by automated electrical regulation.

For mechanical systems in relative motion it would be fascinating if a non-mechanical stimulus could be used to directly control friction conditions. Therefore, different combinations of lubricants and external triggers for tribological influence have already been investigated. We show that when two metallic friction partners are lubricated with ionic liquid mixtures (ILM), consisting of long-chain cation and two different high charge/mass ratio anion containing ILs, the application of an electric impulse induces a permanent change of the frictional response. Such mixtures are able to alter the coefficient of friction (COF) to a greater extent, more accurately and faster than the respective single-component ILs. This change in the frictional properties is presumably due to changes in the externally induced electrical polarization at the surface, which influences the molecular adsorption, the exchange of adsorbed ions and their molecular orientation. The correlation between surface charges and friction can be used to control friction. This is achieved by implementing an electric tribo-controller which can adjust preset friction values over time. Programming friction in this way is a first step towards tribosystems that automatically adapt to changing conditions.

Thin-Film Lubrication in the Water/Octyl ß-d-Glucopyranoside System: Macroscopic and Nanoscopic Tribological Behavior.

The friction properties of the water-based surfactant system C8 (octyl ß-d-glucopyranoside) are investigated both at the macro- and nanoscale in ring-on-plate and atomic force microscopy friction experiments, respectively. Surface characterization and measurement of the friction gap during sliding, together with the tribological behavior, show a strong shear rate dependence of the friction behavior. High shear rates of approximately 106 s-1 in the macroscopic friction experiments induce a molecular alignment of the surfactants in the friction gap. This generates an anisotropic viscosity which allows a high load to be carried but exhibits low viscosity in the shear direction. When the nanoscale and macroscale friction experiments are normalized to the same shear rate, almost identical frictional behavior is observed in the two regimes.

Macroscopic Superlow Friction of Steel and Diamond-Like Carbon Lubricated with a Formanisotropic 1,3-Diketone.

Energy dissipation due to friction and wear is reducing the energy efficiency and reliability of mechanical systems. Thus, great efforts are being made to minimize friction for technical applications. In our present work, we investigate the tribological behavior of stainless steel 100Cr6 with a-C:H and a-C:H:Si coating lubricated with a surface-active formanisotropic 1,3-diketone. The results show that superlow friction can be achieved on the macroscale using a steel 100Cr6 self pairing (COF ∼ 0.005) and with 100Cr6 in combination with a-C:H coating (COF ∼ 0.008). Furthermore, the replacement of steel with a-C:H coating leads to a considerable decrease of wear. The reduced COF arises from the chemical interaction of the lubricant with the surface and nascent iron ions. It was found that interfacial parameters correlate with tribological results. In addition, the alignment of the formanisotropic molecules in the tribological contact at thin-film lubrication leads to an anisotropic viscosity with a minimum shear resistance in sliding direction. Atomistic simulation of tribochemical interactions was conducted to derive a friction model based on the thin-film lubrication theory. This investigation indicates the potential to substantially reduce friction and wear using this fluid in real technical applications.

On the feasibility of the Chevron Notch Beam method to measure fracture toughness of fine-grained zirconia ceramics.

OBJECTIVE: The fracture toughness determination of fine-grained zirconia ceramics using the chevron notched beam method (CNB) was investigated to assess the feasibility of this method for quality assurance and material characterization. METHODS: CNB tests were performed using four different yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramics under various testing modes and conditions, including displacement-controlled and load-rate-controlled four point bending to assess the influence of slow crack growth and identify most suitable test parameters. For comparison, tests using single-edge V-notch beams (SEVNB) were conducted. RESULTS: It was observed that the CNB method yields well-reproducible results. However, slow crack growth effects significantly affect the measured KIC values, especially when slow loading rates are used. To minimize the effect of slow crack growth, the application of high loading rates is recommended. SIGNIFICANCE: Despite a certain effort needed for setting up a sample preparation routine, the CNB method is considered to be very useful for measuring and controlling the fracture toughness of zirconia ceramics.

Ultralow Friction of Steel Surfaces Using a 1,3-Diketone Lubricant in the Thin Film Lubrication Regime.

Ultralow friction (coefficient of friction µ ≈ 0.005) is observed when two steel surfaces are brought into sliding contact in the presence of a particular 1,3-diketone lubricant (1-(4-ethyl phenyl) nonane-1,3-dione). We investigate the friction process of such a system both experimentally and theoretically and show that the superlubricity is caused by a novel, unique mechanism: The formation of iron-1,3-diketonato complexes during frictional contact leads to a self-limiting, tribochemical polishing process while at the same time a self-assembled monolayer of the diketone is formed on the employed steel surfaces. This polishing process reduces the contact pressure and at the same time leads to formation of a boundary lubricant layer. During sliding the system transits from the original boundary lubrication regime toward hydrodynamic lubrication. Conductivity measurements across the friction gap during sliding show that the lubricant layer present in the gap between the two shearing surfaces is a only few 10 nanometers thick, so that the molecules experience under typical sliding conditions shear rates of a few 10(6) s(-1). Simulations show that under such strong shear the molecules become strongly oriented in the friction gap and the effective viscosity in sliding direction is significantly reduced so that the system is in the thin film lubrication regime and superlubricity is observed. The results of the experiments suggest that such diketones are promising lubricants to achieve a decrease of energy loss and frictional damage in steel based mechanical devices.

Influence of electric potentials on friction of sliding contacts lubricated by an ionic liquid.

Tribological investigations on the macroscopic scale revealed that friction can be influenced in situ by applying electric potentials, if electrically conductive fluid such as an ionic liquid is used as a lubricant. Enrichment of charged ions at a steel interface occurs by applying electric surface potentials in a three-electrode setup. As a consequence, the lubrication conditions change. It is supposed that electrically influenced surface adsorption and electrokinetic effects are the main mechanisms by which friction is varied.

Ultralow friction induced by tribochemical reactions: a novel mechanism of lubrication on steel surfaces.

The tribological properties of two steel surfaces rubbing against each other are measured while they are in contact with 1,3-diketones of varying structure. Such systems show after a short running-in period ultralow friction properties with a coefficient of friction of as low as µ = 0.005. It is suggested that the extremely favorable friction properties are caused by a tribochemical reaction between the 1,3-diketones and the steel surfaces, leading to formation of a chelated iron-diketo complex. The influence of temperature and the molecular structure of the 1,3 diketo-lubricants onto the friction properties of the system is elucidated under both static and dynamic conditions. With progression of the tribochemical reaction, the sliding surfaces become very conformal and smooth, so that the pressure is greatly reduced and further wear is strongly reduced. All iron particles potentially generated by wear during the initial running-in period are completely dissolved through complex formation. It is proposed that the tribochemical polishing reaction causes a transition from boundary lubrication to fluid lubrication.

1,3-Diketone fluids and their complexes with iron.

Tribological experiments with 1,3-diketone fluids in contact with iron surfaces show ultralow friction, which was suggested to be connected to the formation of iron complexes. In order to support this assumption, we calculate infrared and optical spectra of various substituted 1,3-diketones and their iron complexes using gradient-corrected density functional theory (DFT). The description of the complexes requires the application of the DFT+U scheme for a correct prediction of the high spin state on the central iron atom. With this approach, we obtain excellent agreement between experiment and simulation in infrared and optical spectra, allowing for the determination of 1,3-diketone tautomeric forms. The match in the spectra of the complex strongly supports the assumption of iron complex formation by these lubricants.