Arriving at ultralow wear using cellulose/two-material composites

Abstract

The development of environmentally friendly solid lubricants with exceptional wear resistance is imperative to address the escalating environmental concerns and performance limitations of conventional lubricants in demanding tribological applications. This study systematically investigated the wear resistance of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)/tungsten disulfide (WS2)/graphene composites under normal applied loads (2 and 4 N) and varying solid lubricant contents (stoichiometric ratios of 0.2 referred to as CWG-0.2 and 10 referred to as CWG-10). Quantitative tribological tests revealed that the wear rate of HPMC composites exhibited distinct load dependence at fixed lubricant concentrations. Notably, CWG-0.2 and CWG-10 composites achieved an ultra-low wear rate below 10−10 mm3, representing an approximately 95% reduction compared to pristine HPMC (10−8 mm3). Surface characterization demonstrated that localized carbon phase clusters and interconnected carbon skeleton chains governed the ultra-low wear transition. Prolonged sliding (>10 000 cycles) induced the formation of a 10–50 nm-thick transfer film comprising WS2 nanoflakes and a hybrid amorphous phase (C–O–W–S), as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The exceptional performance, quantified through rigorous parametric analysis, positions HPMC composites as sustainable solid lubricants for precision machinery, aerospace bearings, and biodegradable micro-electromechanical systems requiring eco-friendly superlubricity.

Graphical abstract: Arriving at ultralow wear using cellulose/two-material composites

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Feb 2025
Accepted
06 Aug 2025
First published
19 Aug 2025

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2025, Advance Article

Arriving at ultralow wear using cellulose/two-material composites

X. Yin, D. Zhang and B. Zhang, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5CP00527B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements