Stable aqueous dispersion of exfoliated graphene for tribological applications

In this study, the directly exfoliated graphene prepared by a jet cavitation method was tested as additive in pure water toward tribological applications. Reductions of friction coefficient and wear volume up to 22.8% and 44.4% respectively were achieved by addition of the graphene flakes. The as-prepared aqueous graphene dispersions exhibited high stability against sedimentation, and concurrently maintained their tribological properties after deposited for 15 days. The improvement in lubricating and anti-wear performances can be attributed to the graphene network formed on the sliding surfaces during the test.