  Frictional losses are responsible for significant energy waste in many
practical applications, and superlubricity with a coefficient of friction lower
than 0.01 is the goal of tribologists. In this paper, metal-on-polymer contact
was analysed and close to superlubricity conditions for this material
configuration were explored. A new lubricant has been proposed hinge on the
phosphorus-based ionic liquid and carbon nanotubes as thickeners. Additionally,
carbon nanotube mesh was doped with copper nanoparticles that allowed for the
close to superlubricity state in a mild steel/polymer contact configuration
under low normal load conditions. The adsorption of phosphorus onto metallic
and polymer surfaces has been reported in EDS analysis. The formulation of the
new lubricant allowed for stable dispersion with a carbon nanotube content as
low as 0.1% wt. The carbon nanotubes and Cu nanoparticles have been analysed
using TEM and SEM imaging. A tribological test in a block-on-ring system has
been carried out. The wear of material, topography, and surface free energy
have been analysed along with SEM/EDS images to explore the underlying
mechanisms of friction and wear.
