Investigation of tribological properties of hydrothermally synthesized halloysite composites with carbon, MoS2 and CuO

To enhance the antiwear properties of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), composites of C/HNTs, CuO/HNTs, and MoS 2 /HNTs were prepared using hydrothermal method, and their tribological properties were investigated. The results indicated that the wear resistance was ranked as follows during rotational motion: PAO10 oil < CuO/HNTs (9.1%) < MoS 2 /HNTs (34.5%) < HNTs (41.8%) < C/HNTs (56.4%). In reciprocal motion, the antiwear performance was ordered as follows: PAO10 oil < HNTs < MoS 2 /HNTs < CuO/HNTs < C/HNTs. The consistently superior antiwear performance of C/HNTs can be attributed to the synergistic effect of carbon transfer with HNTs, which rapidly generate a homogeneous carbon film embedded in Fe 2 O 3 , Fe 3 O 4 and SiO x . In contrast, MoS 2 and CuO exhibited inhibitory and competitive effects on the film formation of HNTs.