Advanced lubrication is essential in human life for improving mobility, durability, and efficiency. Here we report the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of two groups of oil-suspendable silver nanoparticles (NPs) as candidate lubricant additives. Two types of thiolated ligands, 4-(tert-butyl)benzylthiol (TBBT) and dodecanethiol (C12), were used to modify Ag NPs in two size ranges, 1-3 and 3-6 nm. The organic surface layer successfully suspended the Ag NPs in a poly-alpha-olefin (PAO) base oil with concentrations up to 0.19-0.50 wt %, depending on the particle type. Use of the Ag NPs in the base oil reduced friction by up to 35% and wear by up to 85% in boundary lubrication. The two TBBT-modified NPs produced a lower friction coefficient than the C12-modified one, while the two larger NPs (3-6 nm) had better wear protection than the smaller one (1-3 nm). Results suggested that the molecular structure of the organic ligand might have a dominant effect on the friction behavior, while the NP size could be more influential in the wear protection. No mini-ball-bearing or surface smoothening effects were observed in the Stribeck scans. Instead, the wear protection in boundary lubrication was attributed to the formation of a silver-rich 50-100 nm thick tribofilm on the worn surface, as revealed by morphology examination and composition analysis from both the top surface and cross section.
Keywords: additive; antiwear; boundary lubrication; friction reduction; lubricant; silver nanoparticles; tribofilm.