Graphene-related
materials are promising solid lubricants owing
to their easy shear between lattice layers. However, the coefficient
of friction (COF) of graphene is not sufficiently low at the macroscale,
and the lubrication performance is largely restricted by the external
environment. In this study, we fabricated a fluorinated graphene (FG)
coating on a stainless-steel substrate by a simple electrophoretic
deposition in ethanol. The FG coating exhibited an excellent lubrication
performance, which reduced the COF by 54.0 and 66.2% compared to those
of pristine graphene and graphene oxide coatings, respectively. The
lubrication enhancement of FG coating is attributed to its extremely
low surface energy and interlaminar shear strength. The formation
of ionic metal–fluorine chemical bonds provided a robust solid
tribofilm and transfer layer on the friction pairs, which further
increased the lubrication performance of the FG coating. The limited
influence of the humidity on the lubrication performance of the FG
coating is attributed to the hydrophobicity of the FG nanoflakes,
which could prevent the influence of water molecules on the sliding
interface. The excellent lubrication performance and better environmental
adaptability of the FG make it a promising solid lubricant for mechanical
engineering applications.