Effect of counterface on the tribological behavior of Ti ₃AlC₂ at ambient

In this paper, we investigated the effect of counterface of AISI 52100 steel and ceramics of SiC, Al2O3, and Si3N4 on the tribological behavior of Ti₃AlC₂ at ambient. The results showed that the tribological properties of Ti₃AlC₂ are strongly dependent on the counterfaces. Under present test conditions, the tribocouple of Ti ₃AlC₂/ SiC exhibits lower coefficient of friction (CoF) 0.40, Ti₃AlC₂/AISI 52100 steel shows a rising CoF from 0.1 to 0.63, both Ti₃AlC₂/Si3N4 and Ti₃AlC ₂/Al2O3 tribopartners exhibit higher CoF of 1.22 in average. The Ti₃AlC₂ exhibits the lowest wear rate sliding against AISI 52100 steel, the wear rate of Ti₃AlC₂ sliding against Al2O3, Si3N4, and SiC are higher and comparable. The morphologies of the worn surfaces of the Ti₃AlC₂ are observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the element states are analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The wear mechanisms are discussed.