Solid lubricants

Abstract

A solid lubricant is any solid material which reduces the friction and/or the wear of contacting surfaces in relative motion. On the basis of this definition, a vast range of materials and coatings could be judged to behave as solid lubricants. In this review, only the materials which can be applied to a surface as lubricants, or incorporated in a coating on the surface or in a matrix to improve the frictional properties of a material are considered.