Mass‐produced Cu nanoparticles as lubricant additives for reducing friction and wear

Abstract This paper reported the tribological behaviours of Cu nanoparticles as lubricant additives. Cu nanoparticles were prepared by an innovative technology called mass‐produced nanoparticles (MPNP). A SRV‐IV friction and wear tester was used to investigate the influence of load on the tribological performance of 0.1 ~ 2 wt% Cu nanoparticles. The results indicated adding 0.1 wt% Cu nanoparticles into PAO6 base oil and 10 W/40 CH‐4 commercial lubricant, reduce the average friction coefficient by 38% and 3%, and decrease the wear rate by 96% and 66% under 300 N, respectively, compared to the lubricants without nanoparticles. The excellent antiwear and antifriction effect could be attributed to the rolling effect caused by the ideal spherical shape and good dispersibility of the prepared Cu nanoparticles and form deposition film on the surface of the friction pair. Therefore, the Cu nanoparticles prepared by MPNP show excellent tribological performance and possess broad prospects in the fields of lubricant additives.