Applicability of nanoscale ceramic particles as tribological lubricant additives

Lubricants play a critical role in the energy losses of an engine. Several engineering solutions are existing to reduce the frictional and wear losses caused by the lubricant such as ultra-low-viscosity lubricants. With the spread of low-viscosity engine oils like 0W-20 and below, the importance of tribological lubricant additives is increasing. To ensure the necessary protection of the rubbing surfaces against friction and wear, new lubricant additive materials should be researched and investigated. Next to the tribological performance of the additives, their impact on the price is a strong influencing factor. No financial information of the investigated additive materials is available in the current scientific articles and so no rentable decision can be defined which additive worth to invest as an engine oil additive in the future mass production engine oils. This article presents the tribological potential of selected nanoscale ceramic particles (zirconia, cupric oxide and yttria) as lubricant additives and compares them according to their financial impact. According to the results it can be stated that not always the additive with the best tribological properties will be the one be used in mass production manufactured lubricants.