Researchers at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have experimented with the usual recipe of graphite paste for commercially used dry lubricants. They combined nanodiamonds with two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide layers—and then broke them. The resulting onion-like material composed of spherical graphitic shells experiences friction 10 times lower than that of fluoropolymers.
Unlike thin-film coatings, this super-lubricant constantly readjusts, so it lasts longer. It could therefore have hundreds of industrial applications—wherever two pieces of metal rub together in dry conditions.
Check out a Materials Today article about this breakthrough→