Preparation and tribological properties of Bi nanoparticles as a lithium grease additive

To improve the wear resistance of the machine parts, strengthened brush plating coatings were prepared by deposition of Bi nanoparticles. The excellent Bi nanoparticles self-repairing additives were prepared via the DC arc plasma evaporation method. The tribological properties of lithium lubricating greases containing Bi nanoparticles were investigated with a four-ball machine, and the morphology, self-repairing mechanism and the elemental composition of worn steel surfaces were analyzed by the scanning electron microscope(SEM)and the energy disperse spectroscopy(EDS). Results show that as-preparedBi nanoparticles as lubricant additives can significantly improve the tribological properties of lithium lubricating greases as well as load-carrying capacity.