Effect of Nano-BN on Friction and Wear Properties of AlN Plate

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3102819/v1

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Effect of Nano-BN on Friction and Wear Properties of AlN Plate

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3102819/v1

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published 09 Aug, 2023

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Nano-BN/Si, BN/Al2O3 composite lubricants was prepared by a hydrothermal stirring synthesis method. Orthogonal experiments were conducted by changing the mass fraction of Si and Al2O3. Extreme pressure and wear resistance performance of nano-BN lubricants was investigated the four-ball machine method, and the effect of nano-BN on the friction and wear performance of AlN plates were studied by the multifunctional friction and wear tests. SEM, EDS and XPS were used to characterize the wear morphology and element distribution on the wear surface of the steel balls and the sliding AlN plates, the wear and friction mechanism of nano-BN/Si, BN/Al2O3 as anti-wear additives contained in the nanocomposite lubricants between the metal friction pairs was proposed. The excellent tribological performance of the BN composite lubricants attribute to the synergistic effect between nano-Si particles or Al2O3 particles and layered nano-BN particles, which accelerates the formation of solid lubrication film composed of BN, Si, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 on the surface of the AlN plate, thus reducing the wear between friction pairs.

Nano-BN

Lubricant Additives

AlN Plate

Tribological Properties

Friction and wear often occur in the contact movement between mechanical parts during the operation of the equipment, which will seriously affect the efficiency, reliability and service life of the machine, and the energy loss caused by friction accounts for about one-third of the total energy consumption every year [1-3]. Lubrication is one of the most effective ways to reduce friction and wear, usually the use of lubricants to separate the two friction contact surfaces to avoid direct contact, thereby reducing friction and wear [4]. The use of nano-lubricants can not only effectively control the problems of high friction coefficient and large wear in general industrial production. It is also suitable for complex and harsh environments such as high temperature, high speed and high load under specific working conditions [5, 6]. In addition, nano-lubricants can also provide self-healing protection for worn surfaces [7]. Extend the maintenance cycle of mechanical equipment, improve the performance and service life of the machine [8].

Nanomaterials have attracted a lot of attention in the field of tribology in recent years due to their unusual physical and chemical properties and small sizes and surface effects [3-5]. Solid layered compounds like MoS₂, WS₂, BN, and graphene have all been generally acknowledged as potential oil additives. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), one of these nanoparticles, is white in color, has a lamellar crystalline structure akin to graphite, and is easily slippable [12]. However, due to their high surface energy, BN particles are prone to agglomeration and sedimentation when employed as lubricating additives, which negatively affects their tribological performance [13]. Nano-hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), with a graphene-like lamellar crystal structure, easy to slip, has excellent chemical stability, oxidation resistance and load performance, and does not contain halogen, the production cost is relatively low [9-11]. Gupta et al. [14] studied the effect of the particle size of hexagonal boron nitride on the friction and wear properties of lubricating oil. It was found that nano, submicron and micron levels of hexagonal boron nitride can improve the tribological properties of base lubricating oil. Hexagonal boron nitride has high surface energy, which is easy to agglomerate and settle when used as a lubrication additive, cannot be stably dispersed, and cannot have a good adsorption effect on the surface of the metal friction pair, which is not conducive to its tribological properties, resulting in poor lubrication effect. Appropriate modification of hexagonal boron nitride is often carried out to realize its functionalization and improve the anti-friction and anti-wear properties of lubricating matrix.

In the past few decades, studies on nanoparticles (NPs) as lubricants has moved from single materials to composite systems, and nanotribology-related lubrication research has piqued the public's attention [19-21]. Numerous preparation techniques were applied, and the nanocomposites were changed, to enhance the friction reduction and anti-wear capabilities of nanoparticle composites. In order to attain practically frictionless operation, Sun [22] et al. devised a novel technique known as pressure-induced superlubricity. In general, as Si content rises, wear resistance rises and the density of Sip/Al composites decreases [23,24]. According to recent studies, the size and shape of NPs significantly influence how they are lubricated [25–27]. Solid NPs have the ability to provide lubrication through sliding [22, 28–31], exfoliation [30, 32–34], and rolling [30, 31, 33, 35], as well as due to the formation of a third body, which lessens contact between two sliding surfaces [36]. This is in contrast to intrinsic solid lubricants, which have lubricity due to their low-shear crystallographic planes. Hard NPs can isolate two sliding surfaces and boost their load-bearing capacity, whereas soft metallic NPs (Cu, Ni, Fe, Sn, Ag, Pd) can create a protective coating that lowers friction and wear [37–41]. Due to mending, anti-wear effects can also be obtained [42, 43].

Aluminum nitride (AlN) material has high thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, high mechanical strength, compressive properties, and is widely used in the packaging field of semiconductor devices. It is very important to study the friction and wear properties of AlN ceramic substrate under low load. To improve the solubility of hexagonal boron nitride in lubricating medium, more simple modification methods need to be further studied. In terms of building efficient lubrication systems, relatively little research has been done on frictional interface materials. In this work, nano-BN/Si, BN/Al₂O₃ composite lubricants was prepared by a hydrothermal stirring synthesis method. Orthogonal experiments were conducted by changing the mass fraction of Si and Al₂O₃. Extreme pressure and wear resistance performance of nano-BN lubricants was investigated the four-ball machine method, and the effect of nano-BN on the friction and wear performance of AlN plates were studied by the multifunctional friction and wear tests. SEM, EDS and XPS were used to characterize the wear morphology and element distribution on the wear surface of the steel balls and the sliding AlN plates, the wear and friction mechanism of nano-BN/Si, BN/Al₂O₃as anti-wear additives contained in the lubricants between the metal friction pairs was proposed.

2.1 Raw materials

Boron nitride (BN), silicon (Si), and aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) powder were used and produced from Shanghai Paddy Material Technology Co., LTD. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dodecyl alcohol ester (C₁₂H₂₄O₃, DA) as dispersant, mesilate as extrcme pressure and antiwear additive were used and produced from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co. LTD. BK1361 as defoaming agent and sodium benzoate as corrosion inhibitor were used and from Guangzhou Junxin Chemical Technology Co. LTD. All reagents are analytically pure. Steel ball was used and produced from Shanghai Steel Ball Factory. Steel ball material is GCr15, diameter is 12.7mm, hardness is HRC55. AlN plate was used and produced from Borui Photoelectric Co., LTD, Nanjing.

2.2 XRD and SEM analysis

D8-Advance X-ray diffractometer was used to test the structure of purchased BN nanoparticles, Si particles and Al₂O₃ particles. Angular accuracy ≤0.01°, repeatability ≤0.001, reproducibility ≤0.002°, dynamic range 1×108cps, energy resolution ≤20%. The morphologies of BN nanoparticles, Si particles and Al₂O₃ particles were observed by M-6360LV scanning electron microscope (SEM), and their grain sizes were measured by calculation.

2.3 Preparation process of nano-lubricants

Schematic diagram of preparation process of nano lubricants containing nano-BN particles, BN/Si particle, BN/Al₂O₃ particle and BN/Si/Al₂O₃ particle is given in Fig.1. 3.0 wt.% Mesilate as an extreme pressure anti-wear agent was added to a container, then 0.56 wt. % polyethylene glycol and 4.0 wt.% dodecyl alcohol ester as dispersants were added to the container, and 0.56 wt. % sodium benzoate as corrosion inhibitor was weighed into the container. Deionized water was added to the container and stirred thoroughly at 90 ℃ for 30 min. Then 0.4 wt.%BN powder, 0.4 wt.%BN nanoparticles and Si (0.1 wt.%, 0.2 wt.%, 0.3 wt.%, 0.4wt.%, 0.5 wt%) particles, 0.4 wt.%BN nanoparticles and Al₂O₃ (0.1 wt.%, 0.2 wt.%, 0.3 wt.%, 0.4wt.%, 0.5 wt%) particles, 0.4wt.% BN nanoparticles-0.4 wt.% Si particles-0.3wt. % Al₂O₃ particles were added, respectively. Finally, 0.56 wt.% antifoaming agent was added, and the reagent was cooled to normal temperature naturally and stirred evenly. The composition of the prepared nano lubricant is shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Composition of nano-lubricants (Wt.%)

No.	BN	Si	Al₂O₃	PEG	DA	Mesilate	BK1361	Sodium benzoate	Deionized water
1	0.4	0	0	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
2	0.4	0.1	0	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
3	0.4	0	0.1	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
4	0.4	0.2	0	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
5	0.4	0	0.2	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
6	0.4	0.3	0	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
7	0.4	0	0.3	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
8	0.4	0.4	0	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
9	0.4	0	0.4	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
10	0.4	0.5	0	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
11	0.4	0	0.5	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance
12	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.56	4.0	3.0	0.56	0.56	Balance

2.4 Four-ball friction and wear test

According to the national standards GB/T 12583-1998, the speed is1800 r/min, the maximum non-seizure load (P_B) of the nanolubricants was tested using MR-S10A four-ball testing machine. The coefficient of friction, mean coefficient of friction of the prepared nano-lubricants varies with time based on the standards of SH/T 0189-92. The load is 392N, the speed is1200r/min, and the during times is 30min. This experiment adopts the contact form of friction pair with point contact. Wear scar diameter of the lower three steel ball were measured under the nano-lubricants lubrication, the surface morphology of the wear scar was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM).

2.5 Multifunctional friction and wear test

The tribological properties of steel ball and AlN plate under nano-lubricant condition were tested by RtecMFT-3000 multifunctional friction and wear testing machine. The ball and AlN plate slide reciprocally, and the curve of friction coefficient with sliding time is recorded by computer. After the test, the wear morphology of AlN plate is observed by SEM. Element state of the worn AlN plate was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The worn AlN plate was affixed to the sample tray, and the sample was put into the Thermo Scientific K-Alpha XPS instrument sample chamber. When the pressure in the sample chamber was less than 2.0×10-7mbar, the sample was sent to the analysis chamber, the spot size was 400μm, and the working voltage was 12 kV. Filament current is 6 mA; The full spectrum scanning energy is 150eV and the step size is 1eV. Narrow-spectrum scanning has a pass energy of 50 eV and a step size of 0.1eV. The cross section of the tribofilm formed during the sliding process of AlN plate is observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM).

3.1 XRD analysis

Fig. 2 shows the XRD diffraction patterns of BN, Al₂O₃ and Si powders. It can be found that sharp (002) crystal plane diffraction peaks of BN powder appear at 26.76°, and the diffraction peaks of (100), (101), (102), (004) and (110) crystal plane are corresponded to 41.60°, 43.87°, 50.15°, 55.16° and 75.93°, which is consistent with the crystal face data of the standard card of BN (JCPDS Card no.34-0421). It is belong to hexagonal of BN and the space group is P63/mmc(194), a=b=2.504 Å, c=6.656 Å, α=β=90°, γ=120°. It is found that the Al₂O₃ powder has a sharp (113) crystal plane diffraction peak at 43.36°, and its (012), (104) and (116) crystal plane diffraction peaks correspond to the characteristic peaks at 25.58°, 35.14° and 57.52°. This is consistent with the crystal surface data of the standard card of Al₂O₃ (JCPDS Card no.46-1212). It is belong to hexagonal of Si and the space group is R-3c[167], a = b= c= 4.759 Å, α=β=90°, γ=120°. It can be found that the Si powder has a sharp (111) crystal plane diffraction peak at 28.44°, while the (220), (311) and (400) crystal plane diffraction peaks correspond to the characteristic peaks at 47.30°, 56.12° and 69.13°. This is consistent with the crystal surface data of the standard card of pure Si (JCPDS Card no.27-1402). It is belong to cubic of Si and the space group is Fd-3m [227], a = b= c=5.431 Å, α=β=γ=90°.

Fig. 3 shows the micro-morphologies of BN, Si and Al₂O₃ powders. SEM images (a, b) of BN nanoparticles at different magnifications show that the shape of BN nanoparticles presents relatively complex characteristics, including layered structure, approximately circular solid and hollow spheres, broken folded boron nitride, and relatively thin and wide hexagonal sheets of boron nitride. The approximately spherical mass formed by the agglomeration of nano BN particles. It can be observed from Fig.3 (c) that floccule in SEM is not Si particles, but elliptic clumps of different sizes formed by Si particles agglomeration. This agglomeration property indicates that Si powder particles are small, and there is adsorption between particles, which is easy to agglomerate to form a loose porous structure, and the surface of this structure is smooth.

Optical morphology of the prepared nano-lubricants is given in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 (a) shows the stable suspension state of BN nano-lubricant with milky white color. As shown in Fig.4 (b), all BN composite lubricants with Si particles present a grey-black stable suspension state. As shown in Fig. 4 (c), all the BN composite lubricants with Al₂O₃ particles present a white stable suspension state. BN-0.4Si-0.4 Al₂O₃ nano-lubricating liquid shows light grey suspension state. After it was sealed in the centrifugal tube for about a week at room temperature, no obvious sedimentation occurred in each lubricant, indicating that the composite nanoparticles could be stably dispersed in pure water within a certain period of time, and the mixing ratio of different mass fractions had little effect on the suspension stability of the nano-BN lubricant, and the suspension stability of each nano-BN lubricant was good.

3.3 Tribological performance of nano-lubricants

Fig. 5 shows the coefficient of friction (COF) (a), mean coefficient of friction (b) of the prepared nano-lubricants varies with time. Within 750 s, the value of COF of the lubricant with only BN nanoparticles increased and then decreased with time, and then increased and then decreased repeatedly. This indicates that only the addition of BN nanoparticles lubricant consumes the antifriction agent in the friction process, resulting in an increase in the friction coefficient, and the value of COF tends to decrease after the addition of the antifriction agent. With the increase of Si particle content, the value of COF of the lubricant increases first, then decreases and then increases. When Si particle content is 0.4 wt.%, the value of COF of the nano lubricant reaches the lowest, which is 0.075. With the increase of Al₂O₃ particle content, the value of COF of the lubricant increases first, then decreases and then increases. When Si particle content is 0.4 wt.%, the value of COF of the nano lubricant reaches the lowest value, which is 0.071. With the increase of friction time, the increment of friction coefficient of BN-0.4Si lubricant, BN-0.3Al₂O₃ lubricant and BN-0.4Si-0.3 Al₂O₃ lubricant tends to be more linear, and the corresponding friction coefficient of these two lines is small, and the fluctuation is less than that of other graphs. The values of COF of BN-0.4Si lubricant, BN-0.3Al₂O₃ lubricant and BN-0.4Si-0.3 Al₂O₃ lubricant are 0.105, 0.075, 0.071 and 0.0652, respectively. Addition of 0.4 wt.%Si and 0.3 Al₂O₃ wt.%, the BN nano-lubricants exhibit excellent antifriction properties.

Fig. 5 (c) and (d) shows the maximum non-seizure load and wear scar diameter (WSD) of the prepared nano-lubricants. The greater the maximum non-seizure load, the better the extreme pressure (EP) performance of the lubricant. The smaller the indicator value, the worse the EP performance. The roundness of the wear scar diameter indicates that the force is more uniform and the lubricant has better wear resistance and continuity. With the increase of Si content, the maximum non-seizure load value of nano lubricating oil decreases first and then increases. With the increase of Al₂O₃ content, the maximum non-seizure load value of nano lubricating oil decreases first and then increases, then decreases and then increases. When the Al₂O₃ particle content is 0.3 wt.%, the maximum non-seizure load of the nano-lubricant reaches the highest value, which is 762 N. This indicates that only the addition of BN nanoparticles lubricant consumes the Al₂O₃ particle in the friction process, resulting in an increase in the friction coefficient, and the friction coefficient tends to decrease after the addition of the Al₂O₃ particle. Addition of Si or Al₂O₃ particle, the diameter of the wear scar increases, which is mainly attributed to the agglomeration of nanoparticles at higher concentration, which leads to the decrease of additive concentration on the friction surface. This prevents the protective film from forming a tight lubricating layer, thus increasing the occurrence of wear [12].

Based on the inconsistency of P_B and WSD parameters, which characterizes the properties of the extreme pressure and wear resistance of the prepared nano-lubricants, the extreme pressure and wear resistance coefficient (ω) is used to represent the tribological properties of these nano-lubricants [10] and as follow below,

where, P_B is the maximum non-seizure load, N and WSD is the average wear scar diameter, mm. The vales of ω of the prepared nano-lubricants are calculated and given in Fig.5(e). It can be seen that among the prepared BN-0.4Si, BN-0.3 Al₂O₃ and Bn-0.4Si-0.3 Al₂O₃ nano-lubricants, the ω value of Bn-0.4Si-0.3 Al₂O₃ nano-lubricant is the highest, reaching 3.31. The prepared BN-0.4Si-0.3 Al₂O₃ nano-lubricant showed the most outstanding tribological properties.

Fig. 6 shows SEM morphology of wear scar of the steel ball surface lubricated with nano lubricants. When only 0.4 wt.% of BN nanoparticles are added for lubrication, the value of WSD is maximum. With the increase of Si content, the value of WSD decreases first and then increases when the nano-lubricant is used for lubrication. When the Si content of the nano-lubricant is 0.3 wt.%, the value of WSD of the steel ball is the minimum after lubrication. With the increase of Al content, the value of WSD decreases with little difference between each other. The depth and width of scratches on the surface of wear scar decrease significantly compared with the effect of nano-lubricant with Si powder.

The value of WSD of the steel ball was the smallest when the nano-BN-0.3Si lubricant with 0.3wt.% Si powder was added, and the value of WSD of the steel ball scar was the smallest when the nano-lubricant with 0.3 wt.% Al₂O₃ powder was added. With the addition of Si powder or Al₂O₃ powder, the value of the WSD of the steel ball lubricated with nano-BN lubricant gradually increases, and the scratch depth and width of the grinding spot surface also gradually increase. When BN lubrication was used, the surface damage was mainly concentrated in the central area, forming a dense, wide, and deep furrow. Although the amount of wear is larger, the periphery of the grinding spot is smooth, and only slight scratches appeared. As can be seen from the enlarged image near the center of the abrasion spot, the abrasive wear is accompanied by slight adhesive wear. This may be because the oil film is broken during the friction process, which makes more convex and convex parts of the friction surface contact directly, leading to the occurrence of adhesive wear. In addition, because BN nanoparticles are easy to agglomerate at a certain concentration, and according to the point contact stress theory, the contact stress is maximum at the highest point of the grinding spot. Therefore, in the process of increasing the diameter of the grinding spot, the wear in the middle is the most serious, while the wear around is gradually reduced, as shown in Fig. 6(a). With the introduction of different nano-additives, the abrasive wear on the surface becomes more uniform. This is because the addition of nanoparticles changes the contact form of the friction pair and no longer simply depends on the stress value relationship at the contact point. On the contrary, nanoparticles act as micro-bearings on the friction surface, avoiding direct contact and providing space for timely discharge of debris, thus reducing friction and wear [22]. However, with the increase of the concentration of nanoparticle additive, the width and depth of the scratches also increased gradually. This is because the increase of the concentration of nanoparticles in the lubricant leads to the decrease of the spacing between particles, and the effect of van der Waals force makes the particles agglomerate, thus affecting the performance of BN nanoparticles lubricant.

The local magnification of the steel ball grinding spot corresponding to the nano-BN lubricant has an unstable black shadow, which may be caused by the failure to timely send samples for SEM scanning tests after long grinding by the four-ball machine method. Although the sample ball is loaded into the corresponding sample bag, the surface of the grinding spot is still corroded to different degrees.

3.3 Effect of Nano-BN on Friction and Wear Properties of AlN Plate

Fig.7 shows the relationship of coefficient of friction between the prepared nano lubricants and AlN plate with time. The friction coefficient of BN lubricant with only 0.4wt.% BN nanoparticles is 0.01154, and the friction coefficient of other samples is lower than that of pure BN lubricant. Among BN-0.1Si, BN-0.2Si, BN-0.3Si, BN-0.4Si, BN-0.5Si nano-lubricants, the BN-0.1Si nano-lubricant shows more stable and lower friction coefficient, the lowest up to 0.00174. Among BN-0.1 Al₂O₃, BN-0.2 Al₂O₃, BN-0.3 Al₂O₃, BN-0.4 Al₂O₃, BN-0.5Al₂O₃ nano-lubricants, the BN-0.1 Al₂O₃ nano-lubricant has shown a more stable and lower friction coefficient, with a minimum of 0.00163. According to the curves shown in Fig. 7, it can be clearly seen that except for pure BN nano lubricant, the COF of the remaining groups of BN nano lubricant measured by the multi-function friction and wear testing machine reaches 0.001 magnitude. The data show that the nano-BN lubricant with Si particles or Al₂O₃ particles has achieved the effect of super lubrication. However, through the study of the concept and generation characteristics of super-lubrication [23], it is found that these fitted curves are still obtained by conventional friction behavior, but the friction is extremely low and their friction coefficient does not tend to be zero, indicating that the lubrication effect of nano-BN lubricants added with Si particles or Al₂O₃ particles on AlN plates only reaches the category of super-lubrication. The low friction coefficient shown in the friction curve may be due to the fact that the ordinary AlN plate do not have fluctuations of the thickness of a single atom, and the surface of the plate is relatively smooth and has a certain stiffness. In the multifunctional friction and wear test, the addition of nano-BN lubricant plays the role of lubricant and achieves the effect of anti-friction and anti-wear.

3.4.2 Microstructure analysis of the sliding AlN plate

Fig. 8 shows the surface wear morphologies of AlN plate samples after multifunctional friction and wear tests. By observing the wear marks on the surface of the AlN plate, it can be seen that the wear marks on the surface of the AlN plate are deep and thick after the lubrication of only 0.4wt.% nano-BN lubricant is added, and the wear marks on the surface of the AlN plate can be obviously shined after the nano-lubricant of Si or Al₂O₃ particles is added. Although these wear marks are uniform, they are irregular clumpy. It shows that the nano BN-lubricant has the effect of reducing friction and anti-wear.

In Fig. 8 (f), a number of 10 μm spheroids appeared, and EDS spectral analysis was performed on two of them, as shown in Fig. 9. According to the element table in Fig. 9, it can be seen that the mass fraction of Fe element and 35.64wt.% and the mass fraction of Si and Al element are 2.02 wt.% and 53.45 wt.%, respectively, of the two spheres on the microscopic surface of the AlN plate lubricated by BN-0.3Si nano-lubricant. You can figure out how these two spheres form. After the multifunctional friction and wear test between steel ball and AlN plate, there will be residual wear chips on the plate. Because the AlN plate samples after the test were not ultrasonic cleaned before SEM scanning, the residual wear chips on the AlN plate oxidized and formed iron oxides on the AlN plate.

3.5 XPS analysis of worn AlN plates

Fig. 10 shows XPS spectrum of the sliding AlN plate lubricated with BN-0.3Al₂O₃-0.4 Si(a) C 1s, (b) O 1s, (c) Fe 2p, (d) Al 2p, (e) B 1s, (f)N 1s, (g) Si 2p, and (h) full spectrum. As can be seen from Fig. 10 (h), the composition of the sliding surface is 74.77 % of C element and 16.88 % of O element, 3.01 % of N element, 2.10 % of B element, 2.14 % of Si element, 0.25 % of Fe element and 0.85 % of Al element. there are nano BN and Al₂O₃ on the surface of AlN plate after lubrication. The main form of C1s is C-C, and the binding energy is 283.88eV. The main forms of O 1s are Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃, with binding energies of 530.78eV and 530.48eV, respectively. There are nanometer BN and Si on the surface of AlN plate after BN-0.4Si lubrication; The main form of C1s is C-C, and the binding energy is 283.48eV. The main forms of O 1s are Fe₂O₃and Al₂O₃, with binding energies of 530.88eV and 530.98eV, respectively. The above analysis shows that the nano-BN composite lubricant deposits at the friction interface, in addition, the deposits on the surface of the wear marks also contain iron oxides, such as iron oxide, indicating that the residual steel ball grinding chips on the surface of the friction pair occur oxidation reaction.

3.5 Antifriction and antiwear mechanism of Nano BN-lubricant during AlN plate lubrication

Through the SEM analysis of the wear scares of steel ball samples after long grinding by four-ball machine method, it was found that the wear marks of pure BN lubricant were smoother and shinier with the wear marks of nano BN composite lubricant with Si particles or Al₂O₃ particles, showing more uniform wear. This is because the nanoparticles in the base fluid change the contact form of the friction pair, which is no longer a simple contact point stress relationship. Instead, the nanoparticles act as miniature bearings, capable of repairing friction interfaces and converting sliding friction into rolling friction. This effect makes the composite nanoparticles show a synergistic lubrication effect, avoiding the direct contact of the friction surface, providing space for the timely discharge of wear chips, and reducing friction and wear. Through SEM and EDS analysis of the AlN plate after multi-function friction and wear test, it was found that there are components containing B, N, Al and Si elements on the surface of the wear, which indicates that the nano-BN lubricant deposits and forms a lubricating film on the friction interface. In addition, there are iron oxides in the sediment on the surface of the abrasion, indicating that the oxidation reaction occurred on the surface of the friction pair during the friction process. These results show that the composite nanoparticles and the friction pair together form a friction protective film, which protects the friction interface [8]. Based on the above analysis, it can be seen that a uniform and continuous lubricating film can be formed between the nano-boron nitride, Si powder or alumina particles and the surface of the aluminum nitride plate, reducing the direct contact between the aluminum nitride plate and the metal friction pair, reducing friction and wear. Nano-boron nitride, silica powder or alumina particles themselves have excellent lubricating properties, such as low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. The addition of these nanoparticles can improve the performance of the lubricant, and the addition of Si powder or alumina particles can fill the tiny pits or roughness on the surface of the aluminum nitride plate, making the surface flatter, reducing the contact area between the AlN plate and the metal, thereby reducing the friction and wear between the aluminum nitride plate and the metal friction pair. In the process of friction, the nano-BN composite lubricant can be deposited on the friction interface, repair the wear marks, and make the wear interface smooth. The introduction of Si particles or Al₂O₃particles can not only facilitate the interlayer slip of the layered BN, but also react physically and chemically with the friction interface and expand to form an oxide protective layer at the friction interface. Therefore, the nano-composite particles have excellent anti-friction and anti-wear properties.

Fig. 11 shows the schematic diagram of the anti-friction and anti-wear mechanism of the nano-BN water-based lubricant and the nano-BN lubricating additive with Si or Al₂O₃ particles to lubricate AlN plate. The friction process can be roughly in the initial stage of friction, the direct contact of the friction pair causes a lot of wear, and the friction coefficient increases abruptly. With the extension of friction time, the nano-BN particles, Si and Al₂O₃particles in the lubricant sample are gradually deposited on the friction interface, which can form a solid protective film through complex physical and chemical reactions with the friction interface, avoiding the direct contact of the friction pair. At the friction interface, the deposited boron nitride nanoparticles are prone to interlayer slip, while the nano-Si particles and alumina particles can partially convert the sliding friction into rolling friction, resulting in a continuous reduction of the friction coefficient, and finally enter the stable friction stage. As the friction process progresses, the physical and chemical reaction occurs between the nanoparticles and the friction pairs in the friction interface, which significantly reduces the roughness of the friction interface and further improves the lubrication condition. The experimental and analytical results show that compared with pure BN lubricating additives, the nano-BN lubricating additives with Si particles or Al₂O₃ particles show better tribological properties, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect between nano-Si particles or alumina particles and layered boron nitride. The interlayer slip of layered boron nitride occurs at the friction interface, while nano-Si particles and alumina particles are filled in the friction interface. This synergistic effect improves the lubrication effect of the friction interface and significantly improves the tribological properties.

The hydrothermal stirring synthesis method was used to create nano-BN/Si, BN/Al₂O₃composite lubricants. Orthogonal experiments were conducted to investigate the extreme pressure and wear resistance performance of these lubricants. The effect of nano-BN on AlN plate friction and wear performance was studied using multifunctional friction and wear tests. The results showed that the bearing capacity of the BN/Si composite lubricant increases with Si particle content. The maximum non-seizure load of the lubrication increases with Al₂O₃ particle content, resulting in excellent tribological performance. The bearing capacity of BN/Si composite lubricants increases with Si particle content, with a maximum non-seizure load of 784N and a wear resistance coefficient of 3.24. The BN/Al₂O₃ composite lubricant exhibits excellent tribological performance, with a friction coefficient of 0.001 between AlN plate and steel ball. The nano-BN composite lubricating additive repairs wear marks and improves roughness during the friction process. The synergistic effect between nano-Si particles or Al₂O₃ particles and layered nano-BN particles accelerates the formation of a solid lubrication film, reducing wear between friction pairs. The excellent tribological performance of the BN composite lubricants attribute to the synergistic effect between nano-Si particles or Al₂O₃ particles and layered nano-BN particles, which accelerates the formation of solid lubrication film composed of BN, Si, Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ on the surface of the AlN plate, thus reducing the wear between friction pairs.

Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled.

Data availability statement

The data used to support the findings of this study are included within the article.

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Effect of Nano-BN on Friction and Wear Properties of AlN Plate

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