Superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at Si3N4/sapphire interfaces

Polymers have complex molecular structures that often lead to interchain friction and hinder movement, making it difficult to achieve superlubricity. However, in the field of hydration lubrication, the electronegative interface of ceramics readily adsorbs water molecules, creating a protective water...

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Main Authors: Hongdong Wang, Zhen Luo, Kunpeng Wang, Yuhong Liu, Jianhua Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tsinghua University Press 2025-06-01
Series:Friction
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Online Access:https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9440973
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author Hongdong Wang
Zhen Luo
Kunpeng Wang
Yuhong Liu
Jianhua Zhang
author_facet Hongdong Wang
Zhen Luo
Kunpeng Wang
Yuhong Liu
Jianhua Zhang
author_sort Hongdong Wang
collection DOAJ
description Polymers have complex molecular structures that often lead to interchain friction and hinder movement, making it difficult to achieve superlubricity. However, in the field of hydration lubrication, the electronegative interface of ceramics readily adsorbs water molecules, creating a protective water film that covers the frictional interface and effectively reduces friction. To achieve hydration lubrication, it is essential to create a continuous lubricating film by selectively enriching specific functional groups of adsorbed water molecules from the polymer solution onto the ceramic surface. By adsorbing a hydrophilic layer composed of polyvinylpyrrolidone with pyrrolidone groups onto a negatively charged Si3N4/sapphire interface, we formed a continuous lubricating film. Research has shown that the interaction between the polymer chain structure of polyvinylpyrrolidone molecules (such as PVP10000) in solution and water molecules could result in excellent superlubricity. When the contact pressure exceeds 198 MPa, the coefficients of friction (COF) can be reduced to 0.004–0.007. Through detailed surface analyses and sophisticated simulations, we uncovered the underlying mechanism involved. The pyrrolidone moieties of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) formed hydrogen bonds with the Si3N4 surface, transforming the initially difficult frictional interface into a PVP/sapphire interface with significantly reduced sliding energy barriers. These findings highlight the vital role of PVP in superlubricity and hydration lubrication and provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the design of materials and lubricants with exceptional lubricating properties.
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spelling doaj-art-b2e2f1f745b24970ae4400c90b2f69cc2025-08-20T03:05:42ZengTsinghua University PressFriction2223-76902223-77042025-06-01136944097310.26599/FRICT.2025.9440973Superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at Si3N4/sapphire interfacesHongdong Wang0Zhen Luo1Kunpeng Wang2Yuhong Liu3Jianhua Zhang4School of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation and Key Laboratory of Advanced Display and System Application, Ministry of Education, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, ChinaSchool of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation and Key Laboratory of Advanced Display and System Application, Ministry of Education, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, ChinaSchool of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation and Key Laboratory of Advanced Display and System Application, Ministry of Education, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Tribology in Advanced Equipment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, ChinaSchool of Mechatronic Engineering and Automation and Key Laboratory of Advanced Display and System Application, Ministry of Education, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, ChinaPolymers have complex molecular structures that often lead to interchain friction and hinder movement, making it difficult to achieve superlubricity. However, in the field of hydration lubrication, the electronegative interface of ceramics readily adsorbs water molecules, creating a protective water film that covers the frictional interface and effectively reduces friction. To achieve hydration lubrication, it is essential to create a continuous lubricating film by selectively enriching specific functional groups of adsorbed water molecules from the polymer solution onto the ceramic surface. By adsorbing a hydrophilic layer composed of polyvinylpyrrolidone with pyrrolidone groups onto a negatively charged Si3N4/sapphire interface, we formed a continuous lubricating film. Research has shown that the interaction between the polymer chain structure of polyvinylpyrrolidone molecules (such as PVP10000) in solution and water molecules could result in excellent superlubricity. When the contact pressure exceeds 198 MPa, the coefficients of friction (COF) can be reduced to 0.004–0.007. Through detailed surface analyses and sophisticated simulations, we uncovered the underlying mechanism involved. The pyrrolidone moieties of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) formed hydrogen bonds with the Si3N4 surface, transforming the initially difficult frictional interface into a PVP/sapphire interface with significantly reduced sliding energy barriers. These findings highlight the vital role of PVP in superlubricity and hydration lubrication and provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the design of materials and lubricants with exceptional lubricating properties.https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9440973superlubricitypolyvinyl pyrrolidone (pvp)hydration lubricationmolecular simulation
spellingShingle Hongdong Wang
Zhen Luo
Kunpeng Wang
Yuhong Liu
Jianhua Zhang
Superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at Si3N4/sapphire interfaces
Friction
superlubricity
polyvinyl pyrrolidone (pvp)
hydration lubrication
molecular simulation
title Superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at Si3N4/sapphire interfaces
title_full Superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at Si3N4/sapphire interfaces
title_fullStr Superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at Si3N4/sapphire interfaces
title_full_unstemmed Superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at Si3N4/sapphire interfaces
title_short Superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at Si3N4/sapphire interfaces
title_sort superlubricity achieved by polyvinylpyrrolidone at si3n4 sapphire interfaces
topic superlubricity
polyvinyl pyrrolidone (pvp)
hydration lubrication
molecular simulation
url https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9440973
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