Affiliation:
1. State Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
2. State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Abstract
Smart surfaces with controllable friction have generated considerable attention lately. However, most composites prepared with traditional fillers cannot achieve “real-time” friction conversion. Herein, a new smart surface was designed to achieve different friction coefficients (0.65 and 0.12). Different coefficients of friction were reversibly and precisely controlled via heating. Via friction and heating, 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorohexyl hexadecane (PHHD), a kind of phase-change material—paraffin wax—was released from the microcapsules, and a stable and complete film was formed. It changed the interface from “solid-solid” to “solid-liquid” in a dry friction state. The composite contains microcapsules that prevent phase separation between PHHD and matrix, which enables the composite to have a long service time and switchable friction performance. In addition, this composite can maintain its extraordinary ability even in harsh environments like UV irradiation. By demonstrating switchable friction based on changes in the interactions between contact interfaces, this work provides a new principle for designing smart tribological composites.
Subject
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes,Computer Science Applications,Process Chemistry and Technology,General Engineering,Instrumentation,General Materials Science