Fluorinated Graphene: A Promising Macroscale Solid Lubricant under Various Environments

Graphene-related materials are promising solid lubricants owing to their easy shear between lattice layers. However, the coefficient of friction (COF) of graphene is not sufficiently low at the macroscale, and the lubrication performance is largely restricted by the external environment. In this study, we fabricated a fluorinated graphene (FG) coating on a stainless-steel substrate by a simple electrophoretic deposition in ethanol. The FG coating exhibited an excellent lubrication performance, which reduced the COF by 54.0 and 66.2% compared to those of pristine graphene and graphene oxide coatings, respectively. The lubrication enhancement of FG coating is attributed to its extremely low surface energy and interlaminar shear strength. The formation of ionic metal-fluorine chemical bonds provided a robust solid tribofilm and transfer layer on the friction pairs, which further increased the lubrication performance of the FG coating. The limited influence of the humidity on the lubrication performance of the FG coating is attributed to the hydrophobicity of the FG nanoflakes, which could prevent the influence of water molecules on the sliding interface. The excellent lubrication performance and better environmental adaptability of the FG make it a promising solid lubricant for mechanical engineering applications.