Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) - cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) blended in SAE 40 hybrid engine oil for automotive applications

The friction and wear of the worn surfaces is a principal cause of energy dissipation in automobile engines. The current study is supported with Graphene Nanoplatelets as an imminent material, also a carbon allotrope which has good thermal, physical, and chemical properties & Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as a universal nano-sized ecological biopolymer. In view of this, the objective of the present work is to enhance the tribological behaviour and lubricant properties using hybrid Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and Cellulose Nanocrystal (CNC) blended with SAE 40 having various concentrations in the range of 0.01% to 0.10%. The characterization is presented by different techniques such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and FESEM. The XRD patterns confirm the platelets structure of graphene nanoplatelets & Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) showed the small and agglomerated particles range as 20-50 nm and 200 nm for GNPs and CNC respectively. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) geomorphology evaluation was conducted for all volumetric concentrations of single & hybrid nanolubricant. Morphological investigation indicates that there is homogeneous dispersion and there is a smoother surface after using Graphene:CNC nano lubricant compared to SAE 40.

Automated summary

Friction and wear are the main causes of energy dissipation in automobile engines. This study aims to enhance the tribological behavior and lubricant properties by using graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as additives. The characterization is done using different techniques such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The results show that the graphene:CNC nano lubricant leads to a smoother surface and more uniform dispersion compared to SAE 40.