Surfactant-assisted hydrothermal synthesis and tribological properties of flower-like Mos2 nanostructures

Flower-like molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanostructures with high purity were successfully synthesised via a facile surfactant-assisted hydrothermal route. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared products were characterised by X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of the surfactant and the pH value of the initial mixture on the formation of the MoS₂ nanostructures was investigated. A possible evolutionary process of the flower-like MoS₂ nanostructures is proposed to explain the formation of various MoS₂ nanostructures on the basis of the experimental results. In addition, the tribological properties of the as-prepared MoS₂ powders as additives in HVI500 base oil were investigated on an UMT-2 multispecimen tribo-tester. The topography of worn scars was obtained using a common SEM. It is found that the addition of MoS₂ nanoflowers can improve the tribological properties of the base oil.