Lubricant Additives Based on Carbon Nanotubes Produced from Carbon-Rich Fly Ash

Carbon-rich fly ash has been reported to be a suitable precursor and catalyst for carbon nanotube (CNT) growth. In this work, CNTs grown from carbon-rich fly ash were evaluated as a lubricant oil additive to reduce the friction coefficient of metallic surfaces using a ball-on-disk tribometer. Different concentrations of the as-grown CNTs in the range 0.005–0.5 wt% were dispersed in a base sunflower oil. The value of the friction coefficient was also investigated as a function of load. Excellent results were obtained for the value of the friction coefficient, where it drastically decreased to around 58% of its original value without additives. This was achieved at a very low concentration of CNTs; that is, 0.1 wt%. The obtained result was compared with that of a commercial multiwalled CNT at the same concentration and found to be superior. This superiority of CNTs produced from fly ash could be attributed to the existence of active radical sites on their side wall. Moreover, the friction coefficient value was observed to decrease with increasing load, which might be due to the formation of protective graphitic carbon layers on antagonist surfaces. The viscosity of pure and 0.1 wt% CNTs-impregnated base oil was also studied in the 25–100°C temperature range. No significant changes are observed in the viscosity of the CNTs-impregnated base oil. These results suggest that the low-cost CNTs produced from fly ash are excellent nanomaterials as additives for lubricant oil.