Molecular dynamics simulation and experimental investigation of tribological behavior of nanodiamonds in aqueous suspensions

R. Mirzaamiri, S. Akbarzadeh, S. Ziaei-Rad, D.G. Shin and D.E. Kim

Tribology International, Volume 156, December 2020, 106838

ABSTRACT

The tribological performance of nanodiamonds (ND) in aqueous suspensions was investigated via experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results indicated that the introduction of ND significantly improved the naturally poor lubrication ability of water. The best performance was characterized by reductions of 70% and 88% in friction and wear, respectively. The enhancement of the tribological performance was mainly attributed to the ball-bearing effect of the ND. The rolling motion of the nanodiamond particles was verified by MD simulation. Moreover, results indicated that the lubrication quality of the ND was affected by the sonication process in the nano lubricant preparation.

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