Effect of Mo and Ag on the friction and wear behavior of ZrO2 (Y2O3)–Ag–CaF2–Mo composites from 20 °C to 1000 °C

In this paper, a series of ZrO₂ matrix high-temperature self-lubricating composites were prepared by hot-press technique. The effect of Mo and Ag on the friction and wear behavior of the ZrO₂(Y₂O₃)–Ag–CaF₂–Mo composites in a wide temperature range was investigated. The XRD results showed that CaMoO₄ formed on the worn surface above 400 °C. The excellent lubrication performance of CaMoO₄ endowed the low coefficient of friction of the ZrO₂(Y₂O₃)–Ag–CaF₂–Mo composites at high temperatures. The ZrO₂(Y₂O₃)–10Ag–10CaF₂–10Mo composites showed favorable wear resistance at all the tested temperatures which was attributed to the combined action of hardness and phase transformation.