Enhanced Wear Resistance of Ni/h-BN Composites with Graphene Addition Produced by Spark Plasma Sintering

Ni-based self-lubricating composites containing a fixed amount of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) (5 wt%) and different amounts of graphene (0–1.5 wt%) were prepared by ultrasonic dispersion, high-energy ball milling, and spark plasma sintering. The effects of the graphene content on the physical, mechanical, and wear properties of the Ni/h-BN composites were evaluated. These properties were first enhanced with increasing graphene content, reaching optimal behavior for a graphene content of 1 wt%, and then degraded with further graphene addition. Compared to the pure Ni/h-BN composite, the relative density, hardness, and bending strength of the composite with 1 wt% graphene increased by 2.7%, 7.4%, and 6.3%, respectively, while the friction coefficient decreased by 56% to 0.31, and a reduction in wear rate by a factor of 5–15 was observed. The mechanism for improving the wear properties of the composite with added graphene was due to the formation of a graphene lubricating film on the worn surface, which increased the load bearing capacity of the surface and enhanced lubrication during wear.