Polycarboxylate superplasticizer modified 3D graphene as long-term-efficient water-based lubricating additive under heavy load conditions.

At present, due to the excellent properties of graphene, which can significantly enhance the performance of lubricants, researchers are conducting extensive studies on it. However, the poor dispersion of graphene limits its application in lubrication, which becomes an urgent problem for researchers to solve. Moreover, with the concept of green environmental protection becoming more and more popular, the research on water-based lubricants is of great significance. Therefore, we modify three-dimensional graphene (3DG) by polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) to prepare a water-based lubrication nano-additive with long-term dispersion stability, named PCEG. PCEG nanomaterials can stably disperse in water for more than three months, which effectively solves this problem. Tests show that friction coefficient and wear volume of the lubricant with 0.5 wt% PCEG are reduced by 31.1 % and 23.1 %, respectively, compared to the base fluid at 20 N (2.7 GPa) heavy load conditions. The enhanced lubrication performance is attributed to the fact that PCEG, which has excellent dispersion stability, forms a strong adsorption and continuous dense lubrication film on the friction surface. In addition, it fills and polishes the grooves and pits, thus improving the friction-reduction and anti-wear properties. This study not only greatly solves the problem of poor dispersion stability of graphene and develops a nano-lubricant that is consistently effective under heavy load conditions, but also provides an important reference value for the subsequent development of high-performance and stable graphene-based lubricants. [Display omitted] • PCEG with excellent dispersion stability was prepared. • PCEG as an additive improves by 31.1% and 23.1% in friction and wear. • The modification method used in this study is easy to operate and can be applied in large-scale production. • PCEG provides a reference solution the problem of poor dispersion of graphene in water-based lubricants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]