Shape controlled synthesis and tribological properties of CeVO4 nanoparticles as lubricating additive

Shape controlled structure of CeVO4 nanocrystals were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method from Na3VO4·12H2O and Ce（NO3）3·6H2O. The resulting products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, electron microscopy （SEM） and other techniques. On the basis of the experimental results, CeVO4 nanoparticles exhibited the crystal tetragonal structure and the pH value of solu-tion had an important effect on the crystal structure and morphology of CeVO4 nanoparticles. Furthermore, the tribological properties of CeVO4 nanoparticles as additives in liquid paraffin were evaluated on a four-ball tester. The results indicated that the wear resistance was im-proved by the additive CeVO4 nanoparticles which exhibited very good antiwear and friction reduction performance in wear.