Tribofilms (boundary lubricant films, boundary lubricating films, tribo-boundary films or boundary films) are films that form on tribologically stressed surfaces. Tribofilms are mostly

solid Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structur ...

surface films that result from a chemical reaction of

lubricant A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, t ...

components or tribological surfaces. Tribofilms play an important role in reducing friction and wear in lubricated systems. They form as a result of complex mechanochemical interactions between surface materials and lubricants, and the study of tribofilm formation processes is a major field of

tribology Tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. Tribology is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on many academic fi ...

. Generally, a tribofilm is any film that forms in a

tribosystem A tribosystem is a tribological system that consists of at least two contacting bodies and any environmental factor that affects their interaction. Tribologists study tribological systems in detail, and devise tribological test procedures. Defin ...

"as a result of

interaction Interaction is action that occurs between two or more objects, with broad use in philosophy and the sciences. It may refer to: Science * Interaction hypothesis, a theory of second language acquisition * Interaction (statistics) * Interaction ...

between chemical components of the ubricantwith the lubricated surface". The term is mostly used to describe strongly bound films that are formed on tribologically stressed surfaces, such as tribochemical reaction films (for example produced by ZDDP-containing lubricants) or polymeric and non-sacrificial reaction films (for example formed by complex esters).

References

{{reflist Tribology Lubrication