Onion-like carbon
(OLC), spherical nanoparticles consisting of
carbon shells, is capable of providing exceptional lubrication effects.
Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism, especially the tribo-induced
evolution of interfacial nanostructures and their correlation with
the friction states, is not clear. In this work, OLC films with a
thickness of ∼1 μm were synthesized by electrophoretic
deposition on the mirror-polished stainless steel. The lubricity was
evaluated by tailoring the sliding aspects including applied normal
load, contact time, and counterface materials. It is found that the
friction reduction level is highly dependent on the material transfer
and transformation of the OLC surface and the physicochemical nature
of the as-formed tribolayer in the contact areas. The subsurface of
the OLC film always undergoes a deep amorphization transformation
upon sliding. It is interesting to note that the tribolayer formed
on the bare steel ball is mainly composed of highly ordered graphene-like
nanoflakes derived from the sliding-induced degradation of OLC nanospheres.
In comparison, the nanospherical carbon structure can be retained
in the topmost subsurface of the tribolayer formed on the ceramic
Si3N4 ball. Such a nanosphere-/amorphization-coupled
interface is capable of providing a robust lubrication state under
high contact stresses. The findings identify a new lubrication mechanism
for the spherical carbon nanostructure, rendering them effective solid
lubricants.