Methylcellulose-functionalized gallium-based liquid-metal nanoparticles as water-based lubricant additives

Ga-based liquid metal nanoparticles (GLM-NPs) are a novel high-performance additive for lubricants and this work novelty prepared a novel type of heterogeneous nanoparticles modified with a cost-effective and available methylcellulose (GLM-NPs/MC). It displays a clear core-shell structure with a particle size of about 270 nm, and as a water-based lubricant additive, it exhibits good tribology properties, reducing the friction coefficient and wear rate of the 304 steel discs by about 59 % and 40 % respectively. The high dispersion and good stability of GLM-NPs/MC make them slowly enter into the worn surface to form a Ga-rich tribo-film. In addition, the influence of GLM-NPs/MC content on the lubrication performance of the water was also studied and the optimization additive content is 0.6 wt%. This study provides insights into the design of nano-composite materials based on gallium-based liquid metal for lubrication applications.