MoS2 nanoflower-decorated lignin nanoparticles for superior lubricant properties

Lignin has been, for a long time, treated as a low-value waste product. To change this scenario, high-value applications have been recently pursued, e.g., the preparation of hybrid materials with inorganic components. Although hybrid inorganic-based materials can benefit from the reactive lignin phe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanoscale 2023-05, Vol.15 (20), p.9014-9021
Main Authors: Lindenbeck, Lucie, Beele, Björn B, Morsali, Mohammad, Budnyk, Serhiy, Frauscher, Marcella, Chen, Jianhong, Sipponen, Mika H, Slabon, Adam, Rodrigues, Bruno V M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Additives
Infrared analysis
Lignin
Lubricants
Lubricants & lubrication
Molybdenum disulfide
Nanoparticles
Photomicrographs
Reduction
Stability analysis
Structural stability
Tribology
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Summary:Lignin has been, for a long time, treated as a low-value waste product. To change this scenario, high-value applications have been recently pursued, e.g., the preparation of hybrid materials with inorganic components. Although hybrid inorganic-based materials can benefit from the reactive lignin phenolic groups at the interface, often responsible for optimizing specific properties, this is still an underexplored field. Here, we present a novel and green material based on the combination of hydroxymethylated lignin nanoparticles (HLNPs) with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoflowers grown via a hydrothermal route. By bringing together the lubricant performance of MoS2 and the structural stability of biomass-based nanoparticles, a MoS2-HLNPs hybrid is presented as a bio-derived additive for superior tribological performances. While FT-IR analysis confirmed the structural stability of lignin after the hydrothermal growth of MoS2, TEM and SEM micrographs revealed a homogeneous distribution of MoS2 nanoflowers (average size of 400 nm) on the HLNPs (average size of 100 nm). Regarding the tribological tests, considering a pure oil as reference, only HLNPs as bio-derived additives led to a reduction in the wear volume of 18%. However, the hybrid of MoS2-HLNPs led to a considerably higher reduction (71%), pointing out its superior performance. These results open a new window of opportunity for a versatile and yet underexplored field that can pave the way for a new class of biobased lubricants.
ISSN:2040-3364
2040-3372
DOI:10.1039/d3nr00458a