Tribology of 2D Nanomaterials: A Review

Abstract

The exfoliation of graphene has opened a new frontier in material science with a focus on 2D materials. The unique thermal, physical and chemical properties of these materials have made them one of the choicest candidates in novel mechanical and nano-electronic devices. Notably, 2D materials such as graphene, MoS2, WS2, h-BN, and Black Phosphorus have shown outstanding lowest frictional coefficients and wear rates, making them attractive materials for high-performance nano-lubricants and lubricating applications. The objective of this work is to provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent developments in the tribological potentials of 2D materials. At first, the essential physical, wear, and frictional characteristics of the 2D materials including their production techniques are discussed. Subsequently, the experimental explorations and theoretical simulations of the most common 2D materials are reviewed in regards to their tribological applications such as their use as solid lubricants and surface lubricant nano-additives. The effects of micro/nano textures on friction behavior are also reviewed. Finally, the current challenges in tribological applications of 2D materials and their prospects are discussed.

Effect of the crystallographic c-axis orientation on the tribological properties of the few-layer PtSe2

“…Besides many applications of 3 TMD, including gas sensing, field-effect transistors, energy storage, photodetectors, and catalysis [15][16][17][18][19], these materials have also attracted attention in the tribological studies [8,10]. Similar to graphene [20], they are characterized by atomic flatness, high in-plane mechanical strength, and chemical versatility [21]. All this makes them good candidates for the friction-reducing coatings used in running parts of mechanical devices working at the micro and nanoscale.…”

“…Mono-and few-layer graphene, and MoS 2 have received a great deal of attention as promising solid-state lubricants [22]. However, a deeper understanding of the friction mechanisms for other 2D material coatings in the widely extended network of layered crystals is still limited [21]. In particular, effects of the surface forces, crystallographic orientation and anisotropy of mechanical properties need to be considered [2,8,10].…”

Nanofriction Properties of Mono- and Double-Layer Ti3C2Tx MXenes

“…6−8 Thus, technologically unique 2D materials with superior strength and high thermal stability, such as graphene and transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMD) as well as recently proposed talc, are being used as customizable single-component dry lubricants. 9,10 Additionally, they are widely used as an additive component of solvents and nanofillers composition systems for friction and wear reduction at macroscale. 11,12 Recently, a new class of 2D materials, referred to as MXenes, with over 100 possible and more than 30 experimentally synthesized compositions, gained great attention in tribology research due to their excellent physical and chemical properties, good anticorrosion properties, low friction, and high wear resistance.…”

“…The most promising lubricants for these applications, capable of minimizing the environmental impacts in energy consumption, are layered crystals, self-assembled monolayers, and hard coatings . Two-dimensional (2D) materials with a thickness of several atomic layers while extending in the other two dimensions exhibit outstanding friction effects such as superlubricity, stick-slip, puckering, friction hysteresis, or directional anisotropy. , Excellent tribological and mechanical properties of graphene have been demonstrated and attracted great interest in the frictional properties of other 2D materials, especially for dry lubrication at the nanoscale. − Thus, technologically unique 2D materials with superior strength and high thermal stability, such as graphene and transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMD) as well as recently proposed talc, are being used as customizable single-component dry lubricants. , Additionally, they are widely used as an additive component of solvents and nanofillers composition systems for friction and wear reduction at macroscale. , Recently, a new class of 2D materials, referred to as MXenes, with over 100 possible and more than 30 experimentally synthesized compositions, gained great attention in tribology research due to their excellent physical and chemical properties, good anticorrosion properties, low friction, and high wear resistance. − …”

SiO2 modified graphene oxide hybrids for improving fretting wear performance of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

“…The tribology of GO has attracted many scholars because of its unique 2D dimensional material (Zhang et al, 2019;Uzoma et al, 2020;Rosenkranz et al, 2020). Meanwhile, GO was deemed as a promising filler to be incorporated into polymers.…”