MXene-Al2O3 synergize to reduce friction and wear on epoxy-steel contacts lubricated with ultra-low sulfur diesel

Abstract Solid tribofilm plays a vital role in lubricating and separating friction pairs during relative movement especially under mixed/boundary conditions. However, the present of the ultra-low sulfur diesel retrogrades the formation of the high-performance tribofilm on the counter steel. Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, carbonitrides or nitrides (MXene) with abundant surface functional groups are promising for forming robust tribofilm at the sliding interface when adding it into self-lubricating polymer. Herein, the design of MXene/epoxy (EP) nanocomposites with enhanced tribology performance is reported. Furthermore, we demonstrated an efficient approach for realizing superlubricity and extraordinary low wear rates (97% off) by incorporating 0D Al2O3 and 2D MXenes. Here, we ascribed the splendid tribological properties to the hybrid tribofilm which can effectively avoid direct contact of the friction pair. This study provides a basis for exploring the structure-properties relationship of tribofilms, also exploring the potentials of MXene for developing advanced functional materials.