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Tribochemistry of Bulk Zinc Metaphosphate Glasses

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Abstract

Zinc polyphosphate glasses are the principal component of the antiwear tribofilms formed on steel surfaces in the presence of additives, such as zinc dialkyldithiophosphates. In this work, amorphous, zinc metaphosphate glasses have been synthesized and characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Tribological tests were performed by rubbing steel balls against the zinc metaphosphate discs in a poly-α-olefin (PAO) bath at room temperature. XPS was used in order to characterize the tribostressed areas on both metaphosphate discs and steel balls. A transfer film, constituted of iron and zinc polyphosphates, was formed on the contact area of the balls. This transfer film was found to reduce friction and prevent ball wear. A reduction in the relative intensities of XPS signals related to bridging-oxygen species and a binding energy shift of 0.4 eV of the P 2p toward lower values demonstrated the presence of shorter-chain-length phosphates inside the tribo-tracks on the discs. Furthermore, iron was transferred to the glass during the tribological tests. A tribochemical reaction between zinc metaphosphate and iron oxide has been proposed as an explanation for the depolymerization of the glass and the formation of iron phosphate.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the ETH Research Committee for its support of this work. Mr. M. Schneider kindly performed the microelemental analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

    Maura Crobu, Antonella Rossi, Filippo Mangolini & Nicholas D. Spencer

  2. Dipartimento di Chimica Inorganica ed Analitica, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, INSTM Unit - Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09100, Cagliari, Italy

    Antonella Rossi

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  1. Maura Crobu
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  2. Antonella Rossi
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Correspondence to Nicholas D. Spencer.

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Crobu, M., Rossi, A., Mangolini, F. et al. Tribochemistry of Bulk Zinc Metaphosphate Glasses. Tribol Lett 39, 121–134 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-010-9622-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-010-9622-4

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