High-strength printed ceramic structures for higher temperature lubrication

Natural structures, especially those with outstanding tribological properties, are attracting increasing attention in the fields of lubrication and friction. These structures have inspired mankind to imitate their designs and decipher the intricate interplays therein to minimize friction and wear. Notably, it still remains a great challenge to realize effective lubrication under extreme conditions. Herein, owing to the outstanding mechanical properties, anti-oxidation and corrosion resistance of advanced ceramics, various bioinspired structural Al₂O₃ ceramics were developed by digital light processing (DLP) technology, and their corresponding synergistic lubrication performance with 2D lamellar MoS₂/hBN lubricant was also investigated. At ambient environment, concave snake skin-inspired structural composite can achieve an excellent friction coefficient of 0.33, which also maintains a high lubricity of 0.2 at 700 °C. Compared to structure-less Al₂O₃, all bioinspired structural composites exhibit superior lubrication performance under different temperatures due to the large contacting area of lubricant and formation of lubricating films. Meanwhile, structural composites can provide desirable flexural strength (130.56–182.25 MPa) both in environment and elevated temperatures. The proposed strategy highlights the significant potential of bioinspired structural composites in micro-/nano interface engineering and lubrication system under complex service conditions.