Enhancement of Lubrication Properties of Nano-oil by Controlling the Amount of Fullerene Nanoparticle Additives

In this article, the tribological properties of fullerene nanoparticles-added mineral oil were investigated as a function of volume concentration of fullerene nanoparticle additives (e.g., 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 vol.%). The lubrication tests were performed at the disk-on-disk type tester under the various normal forces and fullerene volume concentrations. Tribological properties were evaluated by measuring the friction surface temperature and friction coefficient, and then interpreted in terms of Stribeck curves. At the same time the friction surfaces tested were evaluated by observing their SEM images, surface roughness, and AFM images. The results showed that the nano-oil containing the higher volume concentration of fullerene nanoparticles resulted in the lower friction coefficient and less wear in the fixed plate, indicating that the increase of fullerene nanoparticle additives improved the lubrication properties of regular mineral oil.