Experimental investigation on the tribological property of functionalized graphene lubricant against steel

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to corroborate the advanced tribological properties of graphene as a lubricant additive.

Design/methodology/approach

Different concentrations of functionalized graphene were coated on the substrate surface. Tribological properties of the graphene lubricants were carried out by ball-on-disk tribology tests. Wear mechanism of functionalized graphene was studied by observing wear scars on the substrate surface. Finally, the wear resistance of modified graphene was calculated by calculating and analyzing the applied experimental conditions and the obtained experimental data.

Findings

The best concentration of graphene lubricant is 0.5 wt.% which shows the best tribological performance. And the coefficient of friction is 0.08. Compared with the dry friction condition, the coefficient of friction and wear rate of best graphene lubricant decreased by 80% and 82%.

Originality/value

The formula of graphene lubricant is independently developed and works very well. Graphene lubricant can prevent the substrate from oxidation. The thickness of the graphene lubricant is about 4-7µm. The concept of anti-wear strength was introduced in this paper. When 0.5 Vol.% graphene was added, the anti-wear strength was greatly improved from 115.3 kg·mm-2 to 657.6 kg·mm-2.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2019-0344

Citation

Qian, Y., Gong, H., Zhao, X., Cao, L., Shi, W. and He, J. (2020), "Experimental investigation on the tribological property of functionalized graphene lubricant against steel", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 72 No. 3, pp. 307-314. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-08-2019-0344