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Carbon quantum dots: An innovative additive for water lubrication

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Abstract

Water soluble carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were prepared and used as lubricant additives in deionized (DI) water. The impacts of CQDs on the tribological properties of water were evaluated for both Si3N4-on-steel and Si3N4-on-Si3N4 contacts. Experimental results show that the coefficient of friction (COF) reduced in the two types of tribopairs after the addition of CQDs. Maximum reductions in COF were found to be 30% and 14% for the Si3N4-steel and Si3N4-Si3N4 contacts, respectively. In terms of wear behaviors, the CQDs notably improved tribofilm formation on the Si3N4 disk surface for the Si3N4-Si3N4 contacts, confirming that the nanoparticles increase friction while providing better protection from wear. This research will help to expand the application of CQDs as promising additives in water-based lubricants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical and Transportation Engineering, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China

    HuaPing Xiao, ShuHai Liu & Hang Zhang

  2. Institute of New Energy, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing, 102249, China

    Quan Xu

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  1. HuaPing Xiao
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  2. ShuHai Liu
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  3. Quan Xu
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  4. Hang Zhang
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Correspondence to HuaPing Xiao or ShuHai Liu.

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Xiao, H., Liu, S., Xu, Q. et al. Carbon quantum dots: An innovative additive for water lubrication. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 62, 587–596 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-018-9330-y

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