Abstract: In high demanding applications, such as oil extraction, mining equipment, or aerospace components, lubrication using oils or greases is sometimes not possible, due to the elevated contact stresses involved, high temperatures, low sliding speeds, high vacuum, and even radiation damage. In these kinds of environments, solid lubricants are often the only available choice for preventing excessive wear and reducing friction between sliding surfaces.

For this purpose, a novel and eco-friendly method for dispersing carbon nanotubes and metallic sulfide nanoparticles was developed. These dispersions were used to generate layers of nanoparticles in the form of soft coatings that prevented direct metal-to-metal contact and lowered the friction coefficient. The obtained soft coatings were evaluated in a reciprocating tribometer under different atmospheric conditions, to analyze the influence of ambient humidity on their frictional response and durability. Wear surfaces were examined using SEM-EDS and Raman microspectrometry.

The obtained results have shown that carbon nanotube coatings deposited with this method have excellent lubricant properties under a wide range of conditions, providing low friction coefficients and wear protection of steel substrates.

Keywords: carbon nanotubes, bismuth sulphide, nanoparticles, lubrication, wear, friction.

Biography: I am a researcher from Argentina, developing soft coatings with tribological properties. I am focused on the use of carbon nanotubes as a lubricant, in combination with polymeric binders and other nanoparticles for improved friction and wear reduction. Our research group works in close collaboration with oil extraction tubing manufacturing companies, in order to develop novel dope-free coatings for OCTG connections."