Operando tribochemical formation of onion-like-carbon leads to macroscale superlubricity

Abstract

Stress-induced tribochemical reactions that reduce friction at sliding interfaces typically require liquid lubricants. Here, the authors discover the nanoscale tribocatalytic formation of onion-like carbon from 2D MoS2 and nanodiamond under dry and oil-free conditions, providing superlubricity at the macroscale.