Critical advances in superlubricity: From current challenges to sustainable development beyond laboratory

Emerging superlubricity provides innovative scientific and engineering solutions for the sustainable future of human beings and nature. Although great progress has been made in the development of novel superlubricity systems and different mechanisms, considerable challenges remain before the engineering development of liquid superlubricity can be realized. Herein, the progress made towards achieving liquid superlubricity has been reviewed with emphasis on the current limitations, potential mechanisms, and future breakthroughs that will be expected to overcome these limitations. The perspectives are highlighted based on rigorous statistics and analyses according to the types of lubricants and materials of friction pairs. This review elucidates the key tribochemical mechanisms and research directions to break through the current limitations and provides constructive ideas for the engineering development of liquid superlubricity in the future, which will enable a sustainable future for human beings and nature.