The Tribological Chemistry of a Novel Borate Ester Additive and Its Interaction with ZDDP Using XANES and XPS

• DOI: 10.1007/s11249-013-0292-x
• Publication Date: 2014-01-17T09:55:19Z
• Authors: Yawen Zhang; Xiangqiong Zeng; Hua Wu; Zhipeng Li; Tianhui Ren; Yidong Zhao
• Keywords: XANES; Tribometer; Chemical state; Rubbing

A novel borate ester containing heterocyclic group, 2,5-bis((2-((6-octadecyl-1,3,6,-dioxazaborocan-2-yl)oxy)propyl)thio)-1,3,4-thiadiazole (BDOT), was prepared and characterized. Its tribological properties and synergistic effect with zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate were evaluated using a four-ball tribometer. The results show that the novel borate additive possesses excellent anti-wear and friction-reducing properties compared with the performance of ZDDP. BDOT combined with ZDDP has a synergistic effect on the tribological properties, especially for the friction-reducing performance. The chemical state of nitrogen, boron and sulfur in thermal films and tribofilms was analyzed by XPS and XANES. XPS analysis suggests that the additive forms a protective film on the rubbing surfaces which is composed of B2O3, BN, FeSO4, FeS2 and Fe2O3. However, the B K-edge XANES shows that no BN was detected in the film. The synergistic effect between BDOT and ZDDP may be due to the formation of right concentration of FeS and FeSO4 in the tribofilm.