Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the tribological properties of lubricating oil: an experimental investigation

Abstract

Nano-lubricants offer improved tribological properties in many applications, such as machines and engines. The presence of nanoparticles in the lubricating oil affects its wear, friction, thermal, chemical and physical properties in many ways. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a promising lubricant additive for enhanced engine efficiency. This article reports the effect of 10 W-30 pure base engine oil suspended TiO2 nanoparticles. Four different volume concentrations (0.01%, 0.025%, 0.050% and 0.075%) of TiO2 nanoparticles in the base lubricating oil are used for the analysis. The tribological tests were performed at ambient temperature as well as at 75 °C using a four ball tribometer. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Alicona Inginite Focus G5 microscope were used to analyze the worn surface. The results show that the surface-modified TiO2 nanoparticles can remarkably improve the load-carrying capacity, the friction reducing, and anti-wear abilities of the additive oil. The diameter of the wear trace and the coefficient of friction are the tribological properties analyzed for the nano-lubricant prepared at different volume concentration (VC). It was found that the diameter of the wear scar and the coefficient of friction increase with increasing VC of TiO2 nanoparticles in the lubricating oil. The main objective of the paper is to present the recent progress and, consequently, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the tribological behavior of engine oil mixed with TiO2 nanoparticles.

A review of recent advances and applications of machine learning in tribology

“…Moreover, the reinforcement of solid-state materials like short carbon fibers (SCFs), graphite, titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) particles, boron carbide (B 4 C), titanium carbide (TiC), silicon carbide (SiC), and/or fly ash in oil/polymer-based liquids have enhanced lubrication. [34][35][36] However, due to limited knowledge on the individual contributions of functionalities of each component and uncertainty associated with it, the development of new hybrid materials remains challenging. Moreover, the traditional methods to create these hybrid materials mainly rely on a highly inefficient, trial and error approach.…”

Graphene/h-BN Nanosheet/Nanosphere Composites Constructed by In Situ Laser Irradiation with Synergistically Improved Tribological Performance

“…Then, the nanoparticles will scratch the friction pair during the friction process, and cause serious friction and wear. In addition, compared with other irregular particles, spherical particles, such as carbon spheres, , inorganic fullerene-like molybdenum disulfide, tungsten disulfide, and titanium dioxide, exhibit better wear resistance and friction reduction performance. According to the lubricating mechanism, the improved tribology performance is due to the rolling effect of such nanospheres like molecular bearings and the rapid forming process of the tribofilm among the contacting area.…”

Characterization of Wear Properties of Pure Nickel Modified by Ni-Cr Composite and CaF2 Solid Lubricant Addition

“…Soft metals (Ag) [ 19 , 20 , 21 ], sulfides (MoS 2 , WS 2 ) [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ], and polymers (PTFE) [ 27 ] belong to moderate solid lubricant. Fluorides (BaF 2 , CaF 2 ) [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ], oxides (ZnO, PbO, and TiO 2 ) [ 32 , 33 ], and salts (BaSO 4 , CaSO 4 ) [ 34 ] form the group of high-temperature solid lubricants. The connection of Ni-based composite and self-lubricant, called self-lubricating materials, could be obtained by many methods: cold pressing and sintering [ 35 ], hot pressing and sintering [ 36 ], and spark-plasma sintering [ 37 ].…”