Silicon Nitride Boundary Lubrication: Lubrication Mechanism of Alcohols

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Abstract
This paper describes the lubrication mechanism of alcohols with silicon nitride under boundary lubrication conditions. Dynamic wear tests and static chemical reaction studies were conducted to study the chemical interaction between alcohols and silicon nitride. Direct evidence of chemical reactions occurring between alcohols and silicon nitride was collected. Gel-permeation-chromatography-graphite-furnace-atomic-absorption (GPC-GFAA) analysis detected the presence of high molecular weight (HMW), silicon-containing, metallo-organic compounds in the wearing contact. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis of the reaction products from wear tests revealed the formation of silicon alkoxides. These alkoxides subsequently reacted to form HMW products which had been independently verified as capable of lubricating silicon nitride surfaces. A two-ball collision test was used to verify the lubricating quality of the film generated from the wear test. A lubrication mechanism is proposed in which alcohols adsorb and react with the oxide/hydroxide layer of Si3N4 to produce a bonded surface silicon alkoxide. Subsequent tribochemical reactions prompted by the surface disruption from the wearing contact cause the formation of free silicon alkoxides. These species then proceed to form a variety of silicon-containing high molecular weight products that have demonstrable lubricating ability. This mechanistic understanding provides a framework of Si3N4 lubrication.