Recent advances of two-dimensional lubricating materials: from tunable tribological properties to applications

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial lubricants have received increasing attention as mild and environmentally friendly friction and wear moderators because they can act as promising industrial anti-wear agents to alleviate the problems of energy loss and resource waste caused by the wear of mechanical parts. Since the discovery of two-dimensional graphene in 2004 and its application in the field of lubrication, the development of diverse 2D nanomaterials has exponentially increased in the field of lubrication. In this review, we focus on the research progress in the development of 2D nanomaterials as lubricating materials and the role 2D nanomaterials play in friction systems, including different types of advanced 2D lubricants involved in this field, effective strategies to induce favorable tribological properties in 2D composites, and their main applications in lubricating systems. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to fully utilize the excellent tribological potential of 2D nanomaterials, and thus we discuss the existing challenges and summarize the outlook for future strategies in this research field.