Fabrication of coral-like MoS2 and its application in improving the tribological performance of liquid paraffin

Coral-like MoS2 was prepared via a hydrothermal method and it was employed as an additive for liquid paraffin (LP). The influences of synthesis temperature, surfactant modification and concentration variation on the tribological properties of LP mixtures were investigated. The results showed that 0.40 wt% of MoS2 in LP can reduce the friction coefficient remarkably, which attributed to the adsorption of MoS2 generated from moderate tribo-chemical reaction. MoS2 without surfactant modification prepared at 220 °C worked better in reducing friction coefficient and showed better anti-wear performance comparing with those obtained at other temperatures. Furthermore, MoS2 modified by surfactant gave more excellent behavior in improving lubrication performance owing to its more oxidation resistance, better dispersion stability and easier exfoliation in LP.