Tribological properties generated by a S–P–Cl-containing additive in water-based lubricant

Water-based lubricant is regarded as an important substitute for the oil-based lubricant when used in improving the tribological properties. Additives are urgent required in water-based lubricants as their disadvantages of poor lubricating properties. In the present work, a new additive containing S, P, Cl active element was synthesized, and the tribological properties were evaluated by using a four-ball tester. The impact of temperature on the tribological properties of water-soluble lubricant was also studied. The worn surfaces were analyzed by X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The results show that the synthesized additive exhibit better tribological properties than oleate solution at higher load. XANES spectroscopy indicates that the compositions of tribofilms changed with the temperature. The different composition of the tribofilm has a great influence on tribological behavior.