Improving of the tribological properties of attapulgite base grease with graphene

Abstract With the rapid development of industry, individuals paid increasing demanding on the friction‐reducing and antiwear properties of lubricants under harsh service conditions. Here, the attapulgite base grease and attapulgite greases with grephene were successfully synthesised. The tribological behaviours of the greases were comparatively investigated using a SRV‐IV tribometer with the ball‐on‐disk configuration. The results show that the attapulgite grease with graphene presents better friction‐reducing and antiwear properties than the attapulgite base grease, especially at high load, frequency and temperature. The friction‐reducing and antiwear mechanism was determined through the analysis of worn surfaces and tribofilms formed on it. The results revealed that a tribofilm composed with Fe, Fe 3 C, Fe 2 O 3 , FeOOH, Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , graphene, attapulgite and organic compounds was formed on the worn surface, which is responsible for the excellent tribological properties of the attapulgite grease with graphene. Thus, as‐prepared attapulgite grease with graphene shows great potential in the lubrication for mechanical equipment operated under harsh conditions.