Comparative study of tribological properties of vegetable oils added with pristine and fluorinated carbon nanofibers as additives in dodecane

Abstract : Conventional liquid lubricants are constituted of a base oil and (nano)additives presenting specific properties, such as friction reduction and antiwear performances. Commercial lubricants generally use mineral oils due to their well-known lubricating properties, their stability and especially competitive prices. However, vegetable oils present significant environmental benefits. In boundary lubrication, we showed in previous studies that pristine and fluorinated carbon nanofibers are promising candidates that can be used as nano-additives for lubricants. In this study, the lubricating performances of carbon nanofibers/vegetable oil/dodecane blends are evaluated. The structure of the corresponding tribofilms are investigated by Raman spectroscopy.