Optimum hydrophilic modification of lanthanum trifluoride nanoparticles and their application in enhancing tribological properties of eco-friendly water-based bonded solid lubricating coatings

In the article, a novel and facile method for hydrophilic modification of nano-lanthanum trifluoride particles was designed, the experimental results reveal that the surface of the nano-lanthanum trifluoride are absorbed with cross-linked molecules via electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonds to further improve the water-dispersion capacity of nano-lanthanum trifluoride. In addition, the modified nano-lanthanum trifluorides achieve nano-scale dispersion in water-based bonded solid lubricating coatings, and 5 wt.% of modified lanthanum trifluoride into coatings can greatly enhance the mechanical and tribological properties of water-based coatings, which are superior to that of organic-solvent based coatings. Furthermore, the modified lanthanum trifluoride for promoting the wear resistance of the coatings illustrates more significant compared to unmodified lanthanum trifluoride and lanthanum trifluoride wetted by acrylic surfactant.