High-efficiency preparation of oil-dispersible MoS nanosheets with superior anti-wear property in ultralow concentration.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanosheets are a promising lubricant additive for enhanced engine efficiency in cars. However, high-cost production methods and poor dispersion have limited their application in industry. In this study, the ball milling process is demonstrated as a low-cost and high-efficient method for fabrication of oil-dispersible MoS nanosheet, and the ball milling parameters are optimized. Moreover, the lubrication effectiveness of ball-milled MoS nanosheet was also evaluated. Results indicated that well-dispersed MoS nanosheets with a size of 250 nm can be manufactured with optimized surfactants of zinc dialkyldithiphosphates (ZDDP) and polyisobutylene succinimide (PIBS) after being ball milled for 36 h. Tribological results revealed that a friction coefficient of white oil with 0.25% MoS nanosheets reached 0.075, much lower than that of lubricant without nanosheets (0.16). The wear scar radius of 0.015% MoS nanosheets was similar with that of Hertz contact, and the wear scar radius reduction reached 20% compared with that of 1% ZDDP. In addition, EDS and XPS results indicated the formation of a MoS and FeS tribofilm on the wear surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]