Binder assisted graphene derivatives as lubricants in copper: Improved tribological performance for industrial application
Changjie Huang,
Su Zhao,
Ruiqi Chen,
Erik Johansson,
Muhammad Aqeel,
Uta Klement,
Anna M. Andersson,
Mamoun Taher,
Vincenzo Palermo,
Jinhua Sun
Affiliations
Changjie Huang
Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden
Su Zhao
ABB AB, Corporate Research, 721 78 Västerås, Sweden
Ruiqi Chen
Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden
Erik Johansson
ABB AB, Corporate Research, 721 78 Västerås, Sweden
Muhammad Aqeel
Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden
Uta Klement
Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden
Anna M. Andersson
ABB AB, Corporate Research, 721 78 Västerås, Sweden
Mamoun Taher
Graphmatech AB, Mältargatan 17, 753 18 Uppsala, Sweden
Vincenzo Palermo
Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden; Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
Jinhua Sun
Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, Sweden; Corresponding author
Summary: Originally derived from graphite, high-quality single-layer graphene is an excellent anti-wear and -friction additive in metal matrix. Here, the tribological performance of 3 different commercialized graphene derivatives (e.g., graphene oxide [GO], reduced graphene oxide [RGO], and graphene nanoplatelet [GNP]) as additives in a Cu matrix, were investigated from an industrial perspective. To increase the interaction of graphene derivatives with Cu particles, and addressing the aggregation problem of the graphene derivatives, different binders (polyvinyl alcohol [PVA] and cellulose nanocrystals [CNC]) were introduced into the system. Benefiting from such a strategy, a uniform distribution of the graphene derivatives in Cu matrix was achieved with graphene loading up to 5 wt %. After high-temperature sintering, the graphene is preserved and well distributed in the Cu matrix. It was found that the GNP-containing sample shows the most stable friction coefficient behavior. However, GO and RGO also improve the tribological performance of Cu under different circumstances.
