Synergistic Effect of Spark Plasma Sintering Driven Solid-Solution Phases on Scratch Resistance in Two-Dimensional Materials

Abstract

Developing a solid lubricant with the ideal blend of lubrication and mechanical strength poses a formidable challenge. For the first time, we delve into synthesis and wear behavior of multicomponent 2D materials via spark plasma sintering (SPS) by mixing equimolar concentrations of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and tungsten disulfide (WS2) using ball-milling (BM) and cryo-milling (CM) techniques. The mixing process controls the distribution of parent phases and thus solid-solutions, forming new phases, namely BCN, (Mo,W)S2, and B4C in the sample post sintering. The CM sample revealed a higher densification of 93% in contrast to the BM sample, with only 86% densification and a higher content of BCN, (Mo,W)S2, and B4C phases, exhibited via XRD and confocal Raman analysis. CM sample showed improved wear resistance (up to 46%) elicited from the lower wear volume loss (9.78 × 106 µm3) as compared to the BM sample (14.32 × 106 µm3). The dominant wear mechanisms were plowing, cracking, spallation, and severe abrasion in the BM sample, while cracking and plowing in the CM sample. The findings can pave the way for tailoring solid lubricants’ compositions and wear behavior per the intended application.