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Achieving Superlubricity of Ricinoleic Acid in the Steel/Si3N4 Contact Under Boundary Lubrication

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Abstract

To improve fuel efficiency and minimize environmental pollution, the interest in organic friction modifiers has resurged, especially fatty acids. Efforts have been made to enhance fatty acids’ performance by tuning their saturation state and adding OH lateral groups in the alkyl chain. Here, we compared lubrication properties in the boundary regime for oleic acid (OA), ricinoleic acid (RA), and linoleic acid (LA) under the same viscosity for a steel/Si3N4 tribo-pair. The presence of the OH group in the OA chain reduces not only friction coefficient (CoF) by ~ 70% but also prevents scratches from generating on both surfaces. In the meantime, it determines local friction distribution by controlling top surface terminations. Even at 100 °C, the steady-state friction coefficient of steel/Si3N4 lubricated by RA is only 0.014. A temperature decrease to 80 °C leads to a superlubricity regime (CoF < 0.01) resulting from the cooperation of nanometer-thick liquid film (possibly containing water) and low friction of contact asperities terminated by OH hydroxyl groups provided by RA. In summary, steel/Si3N4 contact lubricated by ricinoleic acid gives unsurpassed tribological performances reaching superlubricity under a wide range of operating conditions.

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Acknowledgements

Centre de Recherche de Solaize (CReS) of TotalEnergies, France, supported this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Tribology and System Dynamics, University of Lyon, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5513, 36, Avenue Guy de Collongue, 69134, Ecully Cedex, France

    Yun Long, Jean Michel Martin, Frederic Dubreuil & Maria-Isabel De Barros Bouchet

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  1. Yun Long
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  2. Jean Michel Martin
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Correspondence to Maria-Isabel De Barros Bouchet.

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Long, Y., Martin, J.M., Dubreuil, F. et al. Achieving Superlubricity of Ricinoleic Acid in the Steel/Si3N4 Contact Under Boundary Lubrication. Tribol Lett 70, 109 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-022-01649-5

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