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

Abstract

Wear reduction in diamond-like carbon interacting with ZDDP-additivated oils is essential for current automotive applications. Here, the authors present an atomic-scale study revealing that this can be achieved by tailoring diamond-like carbon’s stiffness, surface nano-topography, and hydrogen content.