Tribological and rheological performance of lithium grease with poly-a-olefin and alkyl-tetralin as base oils

A new category of lithium greases was synthesized by using poly-a-olefin(PAO8) and alkyl-tetralin as base oil, where the alkyl-tetralins were synthesized by the alkylation of tetralin and olefins. The influence of thickener concentration, alkyl-tetralin content and type of blend oils on the rheological and tribological performance of lithium grease was investigated. The microstructures of soap fibers were measured to reveal the structure-property correlations. The concentration of thickener and alkyl-tetralin content obviously affect the lubricating performance of lithium grease, while the molecular structure of alkyltetralin has no obvious impact on their properties. It was found that alkyl-tetralin could significantly enhance the thickening ability of PAO8 base oils, and decrease the amount of thickeners by 1.5%(mass).Lithium greases prepared using 20%(mass) alkyl-tetralin as co-base oil exhibited high colloidal stability,excellent rheological behaviors and tribological properties.

Tribological Characteristics of Graphene as Lithium Grease Additive

The tribological properties of graphene(GN) and graphite(G) as lubricant additives in lithium greases were investigated with a four-ball tribotester. The micro-morphology as well as the content and chemical state of elements on the worn surfaces was characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The results showed that the tribological performance of lithium grease could be significantly improved by the addition of graphene. During the friction process, an adhesion film and a deposition film consisted of graphene as well as a tribochemical reaction film composed of FeO, Fe_2O_3, FeOOH and LiOH could be formed on the tribosurface, and these complex films were responsible for the improved tribological performance of lithium grease.

Influence of Two Preparation Methods on Rheological Properties of Lithium Grease

The dropping point,cone penetration,corrosion,oil separation rate and oxidation stability of lithium grease prepared by two different processes at room temperature and high temperature were measured.The rheological properties of the samples were studied and analyzed with the microstructure of soap fiber.The results show that the content of thickener used in grease prepared by the room temperature method is higher in order to obtain the same consistency.The dropping point and evaporation loss of grease samples prepared by two processes are similar,and the oil separation rate of the lubricating grease prepared by the room temperature method is smaller.The preparation process has a great influence on the rheological properties of grease,and the higher content of thickener is beneficial to improving the rheological properties of grease.

Well-Dispersed Graphene Enhanced Lithium Complex Grease Toward High-Efcient Lubrication

Graphene as a lubricating additive holds great potential for industrial lubrication. However, its poor dispersity and compatibility with base oils and grease hinder maximizing performance. Here, the infuence of graphene dispersion on the thickening efect and lubrication function is considered. A well-dispersed lubricant additive was obtained via trihexyl tetradecyl phosphonium bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate modifed graphene ([P_(66614)][DEHP]-G). Then lithium complex grease was prepared by saponifcation with 12-OH stearic acid, sebacic acid, and lithium hydroxide, using polyalphaolefn (PAO20) as base oil and the modifed-graphene as lubricating additive, with the original graphene as a comparison. The physicochemical properties and lubrication performance of the as-prepared greases were evaluated in detail. The results show that the as-prepared greases have high dropping point and colloidal stability. Furthermore, modifed-graphene lithium complex grease ofered the best friction reduction and anti-wear abilities, manifesting the reduction of friction coefcient and wear volume up to 18.84% and 67.34%, respectively. With base oil overfow and afux, well-dispersed [P_(66614)][DEHP]-G was readily adsorbed to the worn surfaces, resulting in the formation of a continuous and dense graphene deposition flm. The synergy of deposited graphene-flm, spilled oil, and adhesive grease greatly improves the lubrication function of grease. This research paves the way for modulating high-performance lithium complex grease to reduce the friction and wear of movable machinery.

Tribological properties of nanometer cerium oxide as additives in lithium grease

This paper presents a comparative study of the influence of nanometer-CeO_2（nano-CeO_2） and temperature on tribological and lubricating properties of lithium grease. The morphology and structure of nanocrystals were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and X-ray diffraction（XRD）, respectively. Friction and wear tests were conducted on the friction and wear tester.Results show that the lithium grease with addition of nanometer-CeO_2 has much better friction-reducing and anti-wear performance than that of base grease. When the additive in grease is 0.6 wt%, the friction coefficient（COF） and wear scar diameter（WSD） decrease by 28% and 13% comparing with base grease,respectively. The base grease and grease with 0.6 wt% nanometer-CeO_2 both possess the lowest average COF and wear width at 50 ℃. The worn surface morphology after friction test was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and NANOVEA three-dimensional profilometer. Under the lubrication of the lithium grease containing 0.6 wt% nano-CeO_2. few shallow furrows can be observed on the quite smoothed surface and the WSD decreased. Moreover, It was found that the nano-CeO_2 has been incorporated into the surface protective and lubricious layer by energy dispersive spectrometer（EDS） analysis.

Effect of Fluorides and Cerium Dioxide Additives onEP and Antiwear Performance of Grease

CeF3. CaF2, (CF)n, SbF3, and CeO2 were selected as the high temperature solid additives in a lithium grease, and their friction, wear, and extreme pressure properties were evaluated on an Optimol-SRV wear tester. The effect of additive on the fiber structure of soap was studied by means of the transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The corrosive property of grease containing additive was evaluated by copper strip corrosion test. Thermal decomposition behaviors of the additives were studied by thermogravimetry(TG) tester. The adhesive strength of rubbing surface film was measured by automatic scratch tester and the wear surface was detected by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The test results showed that the grease containing CeF3 has good anti-wear, anti-friction, and EP performances, and has high adhesive strength of rubbing surface film.The greases containing CaF2 or (CF)n are good in antiwear and anti-friction properties, but poor in extreme pressure function. The tribological properties of the grease containing SbF3 are decreased.And the addition of CeO2 in grease was useless. Finally the mechanism of fluoride additive was proposed in this paper.

Conductivity and tribological properties of IL-PANI/WS_(2) composite material in lithium complex grease

An ionic liquid-polyaniline/tungsten disulfide(IL-PANI/WS_(2))composite was synthesized in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazole tetrafluoroborate(LB104)aqueous solution by in-situ polymerization and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.A current-carrying friction and wear tester was used to study the tribological properties of steel-steel and copper-copper friction pairs lubricated by an IL-PANI/WS_(2) lithium complex grease(LCG).After the experiment,scanning electron microscope was used to observe the surface morphology of the wear scar on the steel and copper plates,and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer was used to analyze the elemental composition of the wear scar surface.The results show that compared with greases containing IL-PANI and WS_(2),greases containing IL-PANI/WS_(2) exhibit better antiwear performance when lubricating steel-steel friction pairs and better tribological performance and electrical conductivity when lubricating copper-copper friction pairs.Therefore,it can be concluded that WS_(2) and IL-PANI have a synergistic effect.

Comparative study on corrosion resistance and lubrication function of lithium complex grease and polyurea grease

In this study,lithium complex grease(LCG)and polyurea grease(PUG)were synthesized using mineral oil(500 SN)and polyalphaolefin(PAO40)as base oil,adsorbed onto lithium complex soap and polyurea as thickeners,respectively.The effects of grease formulation(thickener and base oil with different amounts(80,85,and 90 wt%)on the corrosion resistance and lubrication function were investigated in detail.The results have verified that the as-prepared greases have good anti-corrosion ability,ascribed to good salt-spray resistance and sealing function.Furthermore,the increase in the amount of base oil reduces the friction of the contact interface to some extent,whereas the wear resistance of these greases is not consistent with the friction reduction,because the thickener has a significant influence on the tribological property of greases,especially load-carrying capacity.PUG displays better physicochemical performance and lubrication function than LCG under the same conditions,mainly depending on the component/structure of polyurea thickener.The polyurea grease with 90 wt%PAO displays the best wear resistance owing to the synergistic lubrication of grease-film and tribochemical film,composed of Fe_(2)O_(3),FeO(OH),and nitrogen oxide.