Tribological Properties of Nanoparticles in the Presence of MoDTC

Abstract

Nanoparticles can reduce the friction coefficient and present a self-restorative effect and MoDTC is important as a friction-reducing additive. Both are important for improving lubricating performance. In this study, the tribological performances of nanoparticles in the presence of MoDTC were studied. The chemical synthetic and ball-milled nanoparticles were selected as test samples, and tribological performances were evaluated by a block-ring friction test rig. Experimental results show that the synthetic serpentine particle with a 200–800 nm diameter exhibits the lowest friction coefficient and wear, while the ball-milled kaolin particle shows the highest friction and wear. A synergistic lubricating effect has been shown when mixing the synthetic nano serpentine particle and MoDTC. The friction coefficient of “BD + synthetic serpentine” reduced from 0.011 to 0.055 after the compound with MoDTC. At 150 °C, the “BD + synthetic serpentine + MoDTC” improves the production of MoS2 on the friction surface, which further reduced the friction coefficient and wear, while the ball-milled kaolin reduced the production of MoS2, which leads to a high friction coefficient. The synthetic serpentine shows a round surface without any sharp edge, which shows the minimal ploughing effect on the friction surface. Based on the experimental results, the synthetic nanoparticles have the best antiwear and friction reduction performance when compounded with MoDTC.