Abstract
Using an MFT-R4000 tester at room temperature, the leaf-surface wax of two desert plants, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus (AM) and Reaumuria soongorica (RS), was extracted and evaluated for its potential as a lubricant additive in polyalphaolefin (PAO) for steel-steel contact. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was performed to identify the composition of the AM leaf-surface wax, and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate its friction mechanisms. The results suggest that the leaf-surface wax could successfully reduce the friction and wear of steel-steel sliding pairs compared with PAO containing molybdenum dithiocarbamate additives. AM, in particular, showed high-performance wear resistance and friction-reducing properties. Its excellent tribological properties were attributed to the wax composition of leaf-surface fatty acids, alcohol, and esters.
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Yanqiu XIA. He received his MS and Ph.D degrees in mechanical engineering from Shenyang University of Technology and Northeastern University, China, in 1993 and 1999, respectively. He joined the School of Energy Power and Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University from 2010. His current position is a professor. His research areas cover tribology of mechanical and electrical equipment, focusing on lubricants, greases, additives and tribochemistry.
Guoxiong CHEN. He received his MS and Ph.D degrees in plant science from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and University of Haifa, Israel, in 2000 and 2005 respectively. He joined the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences from 2008. His current position is a professor in the Institute. His research areas cover plant physiology and genetics, focusing on plant leaf cuticle chemistry, physics, physiology, and genetics.
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Xia, Y., Xu, X., Feng, X. et al. Leaf-surface wax of desert plants as a potential lubricant additive. Friction 3, 208–213 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-015-0081-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-015-0081-7