Tribochemistry of cyclohexanol between self-mated YG8 interfaces and its friction-reduction mechanism

Abstract

Water-solubility alcohols are reported to exhibit excellent lubricity at both low and high normal loads during sliding, and the lubrication mechanisms for water-solubility alcohols are well known until now. However, the lubricity of water-insolubility alcohols is rarely reported and its lubrication mechanisms were still not well understood so far. Here, we first investigate the lubricity of cyclohexanol between self-mated YG8 balls. The experimental and computational results reveal that cyclohexene and its derivative, and tungsten oxide is initially indeed formed during sliding, then, the polymerization is induced by friction-induced effect between cyclohexene and its derivative, revealing that the formation of polymers can effectively stabilize friction coefficient, and the formation of tungsten oxide plays an important role in enhancing wear resistance. Besides, for 196 N, the formation of carbon quantum dots makes friction coefficient reduce with increasing sliding time compared to that of 98 N. The new find will be potentially applied in machinery and equipment.