High-temperature tribological behavior of ZrO2-MoS2-CaF2 self-lubricating composites

Abstract It is of great significance to find ways to control the high-temperature friction and wear of ceramic materials. In this paper, a ZrO 2 matrix high temperature self-lubricating composite with addition of MoS 2 and CaF 2 as lubricants were prepared using hot pressing method by tailoring the composition of CaF 2 . The wear and friction behavior of the composites was investigated from room temperature to 1000 °C. The ZrO 2 –MoS 2 –CaF 2 composites against SiC ceramic exhibited excellent self-lubricating and anti-wear properties at a wide temperature range. At 1000 °C, the ZrO 2 –10MoS 2 –10CaF 2 (wt.%) composite has a very low coefficient of friction of about 0.27 and wear rate of 1.54 × 10 −5  mm 3 /(N m). The low friction and wear were attributed to a new lubricant CaMoO 4 which formed on the worn surfaces at high temperatures.