Interplay of mechanics and chemistry governs wear of diamond-like carbon coatings interacting with ZDDP-additivated lubricants

Valentin R. Salinas Ruiz, Takuya Kuwahara, Jules Galipaud, Karine Masenelli-Varlot, Mohamed Ben Hassine, Christophe Héau, Melissa Stoll, Leonhard Mayrhofer, Gianpietro Moras, Jean Michel Martin, Michael Moseler () and Maria-Isabel Barros Bouchet ()
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Valentin R. Salinas Ruiz: University of Lyon, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Laboratory of Tribology and System Dynamics, CNRS UMR5513
Takuya Kuwahara: Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, MicroTribology Center µTC
Jules Galipaud: University of Lyon, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Laboratory of Tribology and System Dynamics, CNRS UMR5513
Karine Masenelli-Varlot: University of Lyon, INSA-Lyon, UCBL, MATEIS UMR CNRS
Mohamed Ben Hassine: University of Lyon, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Laboratory of Tribology and System Dynamics, CNRS UMR5513
Christophe Héau: HEF/IREIS, Avenue Benoît Fourneyron
Melissa Stoll: Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, MicroTribology Center µTC
Leonhard Mayrhofer: Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, MicroTribology Center µTC
Gianpietro Moras: Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, MicroTribology Center µTC
Jean Michel Martin: University of Lyon, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Laboratory of Tribology and System Dynamics, CNRS UMR5513
Michael Moseler: Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, MicroTribology Center µTC
Maria-Isabel Barros Bouchet: University of Lyon, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Laboratory of Tribology and System Dynamics, CNRS UMR5513

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract Friction and wear reduction by diamond-like carbon (DLC) in automotive applications can be affected by zinc-dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP), which is widely used in engine oils. Our experiments show that DLC’s tribological behaviour in ZDDP-additivated oils can be optimised by tailoring its stiffness, surface nano-topography and hydrogen content. An optimal combination of ultralow friction and negligible wear is achieved using hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) with moderate hardness. Softer coatings exhibit similarly low wear and thin ZDDP-derived patchy tribofilms but higher friction. Conversely, harder ta-Cs undergo severe wear and sub-surface sulphur contamination. Contact-mechanics and quantum-chemical simulations reveal that shear combined with the high local contact pressure caused by the contact stiffness and average surface slope of hard ta-Cs favour ZDDP fragmentation and sulphur release. In absence of hydrogen, this is followed by local surface cold welding and sub-surface mechanical mixing of sulphur resulting in a decrease of yield stress and wear.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24766-6

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