2D mica as a new additive for nanolubricants with high tribological performance

Abstract

This article presents 2D mica nanoplatelets as a novel additive to produce a stable engine lubricant. The planar structure and excellent mechanical properties of 2D mica contribute significantly to the improvements in tribological performance when evaluated under pure sliding and rolling/sliding contact configurations. The wear rate is reduced by 72 %, and the coefficient of friction (COF) decreases by 28 % when 2D mica is added to engine oil under pure sliding conditions. No tribological improvement was observed under rolling/sliding conditions. Our results also showed that nanosheet loading plays a significant role in nanolubricant performance, where 0.2 wt% is the optimum. These findings demonstrate superior performance to other 2D material nanoadditives and indicate the potential for commercial applications of 2D mica-based nanolubricants.