Effects of graphene and CNTs reinforcement on the friction mechanism of nitrile butadiene rubber under water lubrication conditions

Nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) is a water-lubricated bearing material that demonstrates excellent vibrational absorption and impact resistance; however, rapid wear under abnormal conditions is still a serious problem. Graphene (Gra) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are two types of carbon nanomaterials with different dimensions and excellent mechanical and friction properties. In this work, Gra and CNTs were used to fill the NBR, and a multifunctional friction and wear testing machine was used to study their impacts on the friction between NBR and ZCuSn10Zn2 under water lubrication conditions. The results indicate that both Gra and CNTs can effectively reduce the adhesion and the friction coefficient of NBR during the friction process. The two-dimensional lamellar structure of Gra is more likely to precipitate from the NBR matrix to generate a surface lubrication film, which can effectively reduce the friction coefficient. Both Gra and CNTs can prevent crack initiation and propagation in NBR during the wear process, thereby effectively reducing the wear of NBR. Compared with the two-dimensional structure of Gra, the one-dimensional linear structure of carbon nanotubes can “trap” the NBR molecular chains more effectively during the friction process, thus reducing the initiation and propagation of wear cracks and further improving the wear performance of NBR.