The unique tribological characteristics of black phosphorus
quantum
dots (BPQDs) have recently attracted much attention. However, the
long-term stable lubrication of BPQDs and prevention of degradation
in ultrapure water remain huge challenges. Herein, BPQDs@silica (BPQDs@SiO2) core–shell materials were designed and synthesized.
The BPQDs are uniformly distributed in the SiO2 shell.
The as-prepared BPQDs@SiO2 as the water-based lubrication
additive has remarkable lubricity, wettability, and stability. In
particular, compared with the average coefficient of friction (COF)
and wear rate of ultrapure water, those of BPQDs@SiO2,
being a water-based lubrication additive, could be reduced by 45.7
and 83.0% at 10 N and 150 r/min, respectively. The lubrication mechanisms
of BPQDs@SiO2 as a water-based lubrication additive were
proposed based on the friction test and wear surface analysis. The
excellent lubricity performances of BPQDs@SiO2 are owed
to the polishing of the SiO2 shell, the extreme pressure
property of the BPQD core, and the tribo-chemical reaction film. This
investigation established a simple, convenient, and feasible method
for using the BPQDs@SiO2 materials as a water-based lubrication
additive. It is expected that BPQDs with a core-shell nanostructure
will open up new ideas for the development of excellent lubricating
nanomaterials.