Synthesis of ZnFe2O4@MoS2 core-shell nanocomposites with enhanced lubrication performance as lubricant additives

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to prepare ZnFe2O4 nanospheres, sheet MoS2 and three ZnFe2O4@MoS2 core-shell composites with various shell thicknesses, and add them to the base oil for friction and wear tests to simulate the wear conditions of hybrid bearings. Design/methodology/approach - Through the characterization and analysis of the morphology of wear scars and the elemental composition of friction films, the tribological behavior and wear mechanism of sample materials as lubricant additives were investigated and the effects of shell thickness and sample concentration on the tribological properties of core-shell composite lubricant additives were discussed. Findings - The findings demonstrate that each of the five sample materials can, to varying degrees, enhance the lubricating qualities of the base oil and that the core-shell nanocomposite sample lubricant additive has superior lubricating properties to those of ZnFe2O4 and MoS2 alone, among them ZnFe2O4@MoS2-2 core-shell composites with moderate shell thickness performed most ideally. In addition, the optimal concentration of the ZnFe2O4@MoS2 lubricant additive was 0.5 Wt.%, and a concentration that was too high led to particle deposition and affected the friction effect. Originality/value - In this work, ZnFe2O4@MoS2 core-shell composites were synthesized for the first time using ZnFe2O4 as the carrier and the lubrication mechanism of core-shell composites and single materials were compared and studied, which illustrated the advantages of core-shell composite lubricant additives. At the same time, the influence of different shell thicknesses on the lubricant additives of core-shell composites was studied. Peer review - The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-12-2022-0367/