Friction-reducing, anti-wear and self-repairing properties of sulfonated graphene

Abstract

The friction reducing properties of sulfonated graphene as a lubricating additive were investigated using a four-ball machine tester with high carbon chromium bearing steels GCr15 (SAE52100) friction pairs. The microscopic morphology, elemental composition, and self-repairing properties were observed and analyzed by using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and digital microscopy. The relationships among sulfonated graphene ethanol solution concentration, friction coefficient, and abrasion loss were revealed. It was found that the optimal concentration of ethanol solution with the addition of sulfonated graphene was 0.15g/mL and the coefficient of friction was only 0.105 under certain condition. Then the stable chemical properties and good anti-corrosion properties of the metal-graphene layer were further confirmed using salt spray corrosion test. In summary, sulfonated graphene can be used as a new kind of self repairing additive, and it has excellent wear-resistant and self-repairing performances.

Keywords

sulfonated graphene / anti-wear / self-repairing / GCr15

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