• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.235-240
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• 2018

Superlubricity refers to the lubrication phenomenon that occurs when the friction coefficient is lower than 0.01. In recent years, this phenomenon has received a significant amount of attention because it can greatly contribute to the reduction of economic and environmental losses caused by friction and wear. In the case of acid lubricants, only ceramic materials can be used for superlubricity, and it takes a long running-in period to enter the superlubricity regime. In this work, we investigated the superlubricity effect of vitreous enamel coating on SUS304. We also examined the running-in period of vitreous enamel coating under phosphoric acid lubricant condition with respect to surface treatments. Drying and polishing methods were used to treat the vitreous enamel coating on the specimen. The friction experimental results revealed that superlubricity could be achieved with vitreous enamel coating. It was also found that the drying and polishing methods can significantly reduce the running-in period and improve the wear properties of vitreous enamel coating. In particular, the polishing method shortened the running-in period by approximately 99% and reduced the wear rate by approximately 99%, compared to nontreated vitreous enamel coating.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.151-163
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• 2021

Since the discovery of single-layer graphene, exploiting graphene's excellent physical/chemical properties in tribology systems has been a topic of interest in academia over the last few decades. There is no doubt that understanding the underlying friction mechanism of graphite should precede this. Even now, new properties of graphene are being reported in academia, and based on this, studies exploring the origins of graphene's surface properties and friction characteristics in a wide range of scales are also being performed. From the perspective of lubrication engineering, graphene research can be largely divided into studies that 1) reveal its basic friction mechanism at the nanoscale and 2) explore its application in macroscale sliding systems. At the nanoscale, the basic friction mechanism of graphene is mainly due to its atomic thickness. In this paper, the various research on the nanoscale friction and surface characteristics of graphene is reviewed. Graphene surface properties, such as wettability and surface energy and the basic friction mechanisms of graphene attributed to adhesion, electronphonon scattering, bending stiffness, and the underlying substrate, are summarized. Further, we provide the research outcomes on the superlubricity of graphene. Finally, the potential application and challenges of the superlubricity of graphene are highlighted. Through this, we intend to provide summarized information to researchers interested in the tribological properties of graphene and help set the direction of future research.