Tribological properties of oil additives with Fe and Cu nano-particles

Abstract

In recent years, numerous studies have been carried out on the effects of nano-particles (NP) as lubricant additives on friction and wear. Generally, the results of most studies can be characterized by adding nano-particles into lubricants to chemically/mechanically produce a thin film on the friction surface [1-5]. By doing that, the friction and wear of materials were reduced and the load carrying ability of lubricants was improved. Cu nano-particles have been systematically studied in the past. Its efficacy as additives for lubrication fluids has been completely demonstrated [2-5]. However, few researchers have described the cross-section information and nano-mechanical properties of the thin film formed by Cu nano-particles. In this research, the authors investigated the effect of oil containing Fe and Cu nano-particles synthesized from different precursors by the CEWLS method on the wear and friction of steel-steel pairs. The research should be helpful for the understanding of the tribological mechanism of nano-particles as additives and optimizing NP precursors for lubricants.