Abstract
In this study, the gelling ability and lubrication performance of N-octadecyl-D-gluconamides (NOG) in liquid paraffin (LP), pentaerythritol oleate (PE-OA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) oils were systemically investigated. The NOG, which could gelate the investigated oils, was successfully synthesized by a one-step method. The prepared gel lubricants were completely thermoreversible and exhibited improved thermal stability, according to the thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) reports. Rheological tests confirmed that the NOG gelator could effectively regulate the rheological behavior of the base oils. Tribological evaluation suggested that NOG, as an additive in the three types of base oils, could remarkably reduce the friction and wear in steel contacts. A plausible mechanism for the improved performances was proposed based on the mechanical strength of the gels and the formation of the boundary-lubricating film on the worn surface. The results indicated that NOG is a potential gelator for preparing gel lubricants with excellent tribological properties and environment-friendly characteristics.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2018YFB0703802), National Natural Sdence Foundation of China (Nos. 51405477, 21972153, and 51675512), Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS (No. 2018454), and the Gansu province science and technology plan (No. 18ZD2WA011).
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Ruochong Zhang. She is studying for her Ph.D. degree in materials science in Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, China. Her research interests include lubricating additives and gel lubricants.
Lei Shi. She received her Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, China, in 2005. After then, she joined the State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication at Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics. Her current position is an associate professor. Her research is focused on the novel nano-structured materials with excellent mechanical, tribological behaviors.
Meirong Cai. She got her Ph.D. degree in 2012 at the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics. She is an associate professor at the State Key Lab of Solid Lubrication in Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS. She has authored or co-authored more than 60 journal papers. Her research interests are ionic liquids lubricants and supramolecular gel lubricants.
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Zhang, R., Liu, X., Guo, Z. et al. Effective sugar-derived organic gelator for three different types of lubricant oils to improve tribological performance. Friction 8, 1025–1038 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-019-0316-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-019-0316-0