Combining surface textures and MXene coatings—towards enhanced wear-resistance and durability

Abstract

Surface texturing has gained significant attention over the last 30 years to tailor friction and wear under various tribological conditions in fundamental and applied tribological systems. Under dry conditions, surface textures help to improve friction or wear by reducing adhesion and the real area of contact as well as trapping wear particles. However, especially under high load conditions, surface textures rapidly wear away, thus losing their friction- and wear-reducing capability. A potential strategy to improve their durability under more severe conditions is the combination with protective solid lubricant coatings. In this regard, MXene nano-sheets are the most recent success story related to 2D materials as solid lubricant coatings. They appear particularly interesting due to their ability to generate low-friction and wear-resistant tribo-films thus providing an excellent durability and wear resistance. This aspect makes the combination of MXene solid lubricant coatings and surface textures highly prospective. Therefore, this perspective aims at summarizing and analyzing the existing state-of-the art related to the combined use of surface textures and MXene coatings.