A facile method to enhance the tribological performances of MoSe₂ nanoparticles as oil additives

MoSe₂ nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method and treated with a novel dispersion method, ultrasonic dispersion in water. The tribological behaviors and wear mechanisms of MoSe₂ nanoparticles as oil additives were investigated using a reciprocating ball-on-disk tribo-meter. The results showed that the average friction coefficient and wear rate decreased by 43% and 87% respectively with the addition of the treated MoSe₂ nanoparticles compared with white oil. The lubrication mechanism was investigated and can be interpreted as that the MoSe₂ had smaller particle size after being ultrasonically dispersed in water, which were beneficial to the formation of the tribo-film.