High-Temperature Superlubricity in MoS/Graphene van der Waals Heterostructures.

Achieving high-temperature superlubricity is essential for modern extreme tribosystems. Solid lubrication is the sole viable alternative due to the degradation of liquid ones but currently suffers from notable wear, instability, and high friction coefficient. Here, we report robust superlubricity in MoS/graphene van der Waals heterostructures at high temperatures up to ∼850 K, achieved through localized heating to enable reliable friction testing. The ultralow friction of the MoS/graphene heterostructure is found to be notably further reduced at elevated temperature and dominantly contributed by the MoS edge. The observation can be well described by a multi-contact model, wherein the thermally activated rupture of edge-contacts facilitates the sliding. Our results should be applicable to other van der Waals heterostructures and shed light on their applications for superlubricity at elevated temperature.