APPLICATION OF MXENE NANOSHEETS FOR IMPROVING MACHINE ELEMENTS PROPERTIES

Abstract

Due to a growing energy problems in the last decades, different ideas and methods for saving energy and efficiency improvement become more and more requested. Taking into account that almost half of the energy losses in machines and mechanisms occur in frictional processes thus the importance of improving tribology performances in different machine elements is rather clear. Machine elements such as gears, rolling and sliding bearings in various applications are usually operating with different lubricants in order to reduce friction and wear of their contacting surfaces. Besides surfaces in contact cannot be conventionally lubricated due to legal and environmental restrictions or physical limitations, in applications in food, textile, paper or medical industry as well as limitations due to ultra-clean conditions, extreme temperatures, radiation or vacuum, solid lubricants gain more and more attention due to the possibility to maintain essential lubrication properties. MXenes are a novel class of new two-dimensional materials, derived from well established MAX phases such as Ti3AlC2, which have the ability for a wide use in fields and applications due to their unique structure and properties. The distinct structure, low shear resistance, and easy-to-modify ability endow MXenes with particularly superior lubrication potentials. Authors of the paper present an overview synthesis and variety of MXenes, their mechanical and frictional properties dealing with ideas for possible applications in several machine elements aimed to reduce friction, wear rate and improve their performances making longer working life.