Tribological Properties of Muscovite, CeO sub(2) and Their Composite Particles as Lubricant Additives

CeO sub(2) nanoparticles and muscovite/CeO sub(2) (abbreviate: MC-Ce) composite particles were prepared by mechanical solid-state-chemistry-reaction method followed by surface modification with oleic acid. The microstructure of the materials was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS and FTIR. The tribological properties of muscovite, CeO sub(2) and MC-Ce dispersed into lubricant grease were investigated, and the worn surface was analyzed by SEM, EDS and XPS. Results show that muscovite, CeO sub(2) and MC-Ce all can improve the friction-reduction and antiwear properties of lubricant grease and MC-Ce composite particles present better tribological performance than single particles. The excellent tribological performance of MC-Ce can be attributed to the formation of a chemical reaction film mainly consisting Fe sub(2)O sub(3) and SiO sub(2) as well as the formation of an adsorption film of MC-Ce on the worn surfaces.