Correlation Studies of WS2 Fullerene-Like Nanoparticles Enhanced Tribofilms: A Scanning Electron Microscopy Analysis

The beneficiary effects of tungsten disulphide (WS2) inorganic fullerene-like nanoparticles (IFLNPs) in the lubrication industry were shown in recent years. However, their successful incorporation into lubricants (oils, greases) is not straightforward. In practice, the lubricant contains several components for different purposes, e.g. reducing the oxidization of the oil (antioxidant), minimizing the wear rate (anti-wear additive), dispersants, etc. These additives can contain chemically active compounds, which under the lubrication process (where locally extreme conditions can develop: high pressure and flash temperatures) can change the chemistry in the contact zone and block the beneficial effects of the inorganic nanoparticles. In this investigation, poly-alpha-olefin (PAO) is being used as base oil in which the WS2 nanoparticles and different additives are mixed. A ball-on-disc sliding test revealed that certain additives inhibit the nanoparticles to reduce friction (less than 5 % decrease in friction coefficient), while in other cases, the friction reduction was above 50 %. The comparison is being made between PAO + additive and PAO + additive + IFLNPs. Scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to investigate the elemental composition of the tribofilms formed on the wear marks. Further analysis was made in order to reveal correlations between elemental compositions of the tribofilms and external parameters such as the friction coefficient and wear rate. For instance, a strong correlation between tungsten content of the tribofilm and the friction coefficient was found.