Preparation and Tribological Behavior of BiIn/In2O3 Composite Dendritic Nanocrystals

BiIn/In2O3 composite dendritic nanocrystals were prepared by dispersing alloy droplets in paraffin oil. The morphology and structure of the alloy nanocrystals were characterized by transmission electron micros (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The composite nanocrystals have dendritic morphology, with an average diameter of 10 nm and lengths up to tens and even hund of nanometers. Tribological results indicate that the composite nanocrystals as oil additives can improve antiwear ability of base oil, which is better than that of the corresponding monometallic particles. In addition the lubricating mechanism of the composite nanocrystals was also discussed.