Elucidating the Friction Catalytic Lubrication Mechanism of Ag Nanoparticles Loaded on MOFs

Abstract The low interlayer forces of 2D nanosheets as nano additives are conducive to enhancing the tribological performance of lubricating oil. In this work, ultrathin 2D Co‐BDC MOFs nanosheets are successfully synthesized with ultrasonic assistance, and Ag nanoparticles are successfully loaded onto their surfaces via chemical adsorption. The Ag@Co‐BDC nanocomposites are demonstrated to significantly improve the tribological performance of PAO10 base oil, leading to a 16.7% reduction in the friction coefficient and a 61.5% decrease in the wear rate. Moreover, macroscopic reaction further confirmed that the introduction of Ag@Co‐BDC nano additives facilitated the tribochemical reaction during friction. This work successfully synthesized a novel lubricating additive with excellent tribology performance and provided a preliminary explanation of the mechanism of the tribochemical reaction.