Tribological performance of ceramic particle-reinforced iron matrix composites: influence of interfaces from atomic to macroscopic scales

Ceramic particle-reinforced iron matrix composites (CPRIMCs) combine the high hardness and wear resistance of ceramic reinforcements with the strength, toughness, and cost-effectiveness of iron-based matrices, making them attractive for mining, cement, metallurgy, and other severe wear applications. However, the pronounced thermophysical and mechanical mismatch between ceramic particles and iron matrices often causes poor wettability, residual stress accumulation, inefficient load transfer, and interfacial debonding, making the reinforcement-matrix interface the primary factor governing wear performance and service reliability. Unlike previous reviews focusing mainly on reinforcement types or fabrication methods, this review establishes an interface-controlled wear framework that correlates atomic-scale interfacial bonding, microscale load transfer and damage evolution, and macroscopic tribological behavior. The interfacial characteristics and strengthening mechanisms of carbide, nitride, boride, and oxide reinforcements are comparatively analyzed, together with the effects of wettability, atomic diffusion, chemical reactions, mechanical interlocking, and transition-layer formation. Advanced interfacial engineering strategies, including processing optimization and surface metallization, are reviewed for enhancing wettability, interfacial bonding, and load-transfer efficiency. Their influence on two-body, three-body, impact-abrasive, erosion, and high-temperature abrasive wear is systematically elucidated. Major fabrication technologies are critically evaluated in terms of interfacial quality and industrial applicability. Finally, future research directions are proposed, including ceramic reinforcements with tunable thermophysical properties, three-dimensional interconnected architectures, and integrated multi-scale design strategies. This review provides a unified framework for the rational design of next-generation CPRIMCs with enhanced interfacial stability, wear resistance, and long-term service reliability.