Wrinkle-engineered self-dispersed MoS2/graphene hybrids for enhanced high-temperature lubrication

Abstract

Self-dispersed graphene crumpled ball (GCB) demonstrates exceptional tribological performance as lubricant additive under elevated temperature. However, the critical relationship between its unique wrinkle architecture, internal porosity characteristic, and the resultant dispersion stability/friction-reduction mechanism remains insufficiently explored. Particularly, the synergistic effects arising from structural hierarchy and surface chemistry modulation in high-temperature lubrication systems require systematic investigation. Herein, we propose a wrinkle engineering strategy guided by Stokes' law to fabricate surface modifier-free GCB with programmable three-dimensional geometries. Systematic investigations reveal that the degree of wrinkling on the GCB critically dominates the dispersion characteristics and the interlayer shearing resistance. Upon the molybdenum disulfide quantum dots deposited on GCB, a more consistent and robust tribo-chemical reaction film can be formed on the friction interface and in response to protect from severe damage. This complex achieves over 2-fold enhancement in antifriction efficiency compared with commercial high-temperature chain oil (CH-27Q). Overall, this study establishes a structure-performance paradigm for developing autonomous lubrication systems under extreme thermal conditions.