Spinel oxide enables high-temperature self-lubrication in superalloys

Zhengyu Zhang, Eitan Hershkovitz, Qi An, Liping Liu, Xiaoqing Wang, Zhifei Deng, Garrett Baucom, Wenbo Wang, Jing Zhao, Ziming Xin, Lowell Moore, Yi Yao, Md Rezwan Ul Islam, Xin Chen, Bai Cui, Ling Li, Hongliang Xin, Lin Li (), Honggyu Kim () and Wenjun Cai ()
Additional contact information
Zhengyu Zhang: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Eitan Hershkovitz: University of Florida
Qi An: Iowa State University
Liping Liu: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Xiaoqing Wang: Jacksonville State University
Zhifei Deng: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Garrett Baucom: University of Florida
Wenbo Wang: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Jing Zhao: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Ziming Xin: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Lowell Moore: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Yi Yao: Arizona State University
Md Rezwan Ul Islam: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Xin Chen: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Bai Cui: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Ling Li: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Hongliang Xin: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Lin Li: Arizona State University
Honggyu Kim: University of Florida
Wenjun Cai: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract The ability to lubricate and resist wear at temperatures above 600 °C in an oxidative environment remains a significant challenge for metals due to their high-temperature softening, oxidation, and rapid degradation of traditional solid lubricants. Herein, we demonstrate that high-temperature lubricity can be achieved with coefficients of friction (COF) as low as 0.10-0.32 at 600-900 °C by tailoring surface oxidation in additively-manufactured Inconel superalloy. By integrating high-temperature tribological testing, advanced materials characterization, and computations, we show that the formation of spinel-based oxide layers on superalloy promotes sustained self-lubrication due to their lower shear strength and more negative formation and cohesive energy compared to other surface oxides. A reversible phase transformation between the cubic and tetragonal/monoclinic spinel was driven by stress and temperature during high temperature wear. To span Ni- and Cr-based ternary oxide compositional spaces for which little high-temperature COF data exist, we develop a computational design method to predict the lubricity of oxides, incorporating thermodynamics and density functional theory computations. Our finding demonstrates that spinel oxide can exhibit low COF values at temperatures much higher than conventional solid lubricants with 2D layered or Magnéli structures, suggesting a promising design strategy for self-lubricating high-temperature alloys.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54482-w

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