Investigation on the wear performance of CoCrNi matrix self-lubricating composites at cryogenic temperature

YC Wang and ZC Jiao and YR Shi and Q Zhou and Q Jia and MD Xie and Y Ren and HS Teng and HF Wang, SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY, 500, 131906 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2025.131906

The mechanical and tribological properties of CoCrNi-based composites at low temperature make them have the potential for cryogenic applications. However, traditional oil/grease lubrications are infeasible under ultra- low temperature, which limits further cryogenic applications of CoCrNi- based composites. Solid lubrication presents an effective approach to solving friction reduction and wear resistance issues at low temperature. In this work, the CoCrNi-Al2O3-Ni/MoS2 self-lubricating composite were firstly proposed and its cryogenic tribological properties were investigated by ball-on-disk rotary wear tests. Compared to the CoCrNi-Al2O3 composite at 0 degrees C, the friction coefficient (COF) decreased to 0.38, meanwhile, the wear resistance increased by 14.8 times. Even under ultra-low temperatures of-120 degrees C, the wear rate remained at 6.78 x 10- 5 mm3/Nm, maintaining a quite high wear resistance without significant deterioration. As the temperature decreases, the wear resistance of the CoCrNi-Al2O3 composite improved due to grain refinement and abundant deformation twins. The COF of the selflubricating composite was reduced by the introduction of Ni/MoS2. In addition, the interlayer shear of MoSS at-120 degrees C was indicated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to be less prone to occur. This work elucidates the cryogenic lubrication and wear-resistant properties of the CoCrNi-Al2O3-Ni/MoS2 composite, highlighting its strong potential for cryogenic applications.

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