Low wear metal sliding electrical contacts at high current density

► The manuscript describes wear, friction, and contact resistance behavior of metal sliding electrical contacts operating in various liquid mediums, including hydrofluoroether, water, and hydrogen peroxide. ► The ability to efficiently pass high current density through a lightly loaded copper-beryllium surface sliding ona copper surface with current transport while operating submerged in hydrofluoroether was demonstrated. ► Low wear and low contact resistance was observed, as well as insensitivity of wear rate to current density, supporting the notion that electrocorrosion is one of the dominant phenomena in design of metal sliding electrical contacts for operation at extreme current density. ► This favorable tribological behavior is attributed to the oxidation inhibiting and thermal cooling properties of the hydrofluoroether medium. ► A conceptual model, based on established models describing isolated phenomena, is proposed to describe the correlation between wear, surface fatigue strength, and electrocorrosiondominating tribological behavior of metal sliding electrical contacts at high current density.