Boosting the tribological properties by developing a g-C₃N₄/RGO nanocomposite as lubricant additive

Herein, the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets are protonated treatment and then electrostatically self-assembled with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to obtain g-C₃N₄/RGO nanocomposite. When employed as a lubricant additive, the amino groups in g-C₃N₄ can accelerate the formation of friction films, while the cataclastic RGO nanosheets can repair worn surface and reduce wear. Meanwhile, the weak interaction between g-C₃N₄ and RGO sheets possesses low shear stress, producing interlayer slip, which can effectively reduce friction and anti-wear. As expected, the coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.103 and the wear volume of 0.86 × 10⁵ μm³ for the lubricant containing 2.0 wt% g-C₃N₄/RGO are 62.3 % and 96.0 % lower than PAO-10 base oil, respectively.