Sulfur-Containing Carbon Nanospheres as Lubricant Additives for Antiwear and Friction Reduction
Sha Liu, Sha Liu, Yixin Wang, Xiaozhi Zhang, Shujuan Liu, Shujuan Liu, Qian Ye, Weimin Liu
Abstract
Herein, organic–inorganic hybrid sulfur-containing carbon nanospheres (SCNs) were successfully prepared by one-pot chemical oxidation polymerization of a thiophene monomer and then rigorous carbonization. On account of the good structural strength and organic phase derived from the precursor polythiophene, the as-prepared SCNs manifested remarkable oil-dispersing and tribological properties as lubricant nanoadditives. Subsequently, the friction mechanism of SCNs was deduced; the as-prepared SCNs had the capacity to take the shape of a strong protective film on the surface of friction pairs by intricate physical deposition and tribochemical reaction. So, the SCNs exhibited excellent tribological performance, including a high extreme pressure (950 N), an ultralow friction coefficient of less than 0.06, and a significant reduction in abrasion by 90%.