Designing Tribological Interface for Efficient and Green DLC Lubrication: The Role of Coatings and Lubricants

Abstract

DLC coatings are low friction and low wear coatings and thus inherently possess some of the characteristics that may be beneficial or even enable green lubrication requirements. In particular, their low wear behavior may represent a potential for different, less harmful and more environmentally adapted lubrication compared to conventional materials, which may become an attractive approach for novel green technologies in various mechanical systems. In this work, we present some of several possible strategies for designing green lubrication, focusing only on concepts that are well-suited and enabled in a combination with specific properties of DLC coatings. These may include approaches through predominantly chemical-based interactions, physical-based lubrication technologies, and a combination of both, i.e. physical-chemical properties.