PREPARATION OF WS2 NANOSHEETS FOR LUBRICANT ADDITIVES

Abstract

In this research, we studied and fabricated the two-dimensional nanomaterials WS₂ by liquid phase exfoliation assisted by an ultrasonic process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigated the material structural properties. The 2H semiconductor phase of WS₂ was maintained after the exfoliation process. The nanoparticle size was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The lateral dimension size of WS₂ plates was dramatically reduced from dozens of micrometers to a few micrometers. The optical properties were studied by Raman scattering spectroscopy. The results indicated that the bulk WS₂ counterpart was successfully exfoliated to the 3 – 12 atomic layers’ sheets. The lubricant additives with 0.15 weight % of E-WS₂ were used to drill the composite plate with significant performance improvement compared to those without the nanomaterials mixing. This nanofluid show outstanding potential to be a promising candidate for the lubricant in the process of drilling different types of materials. In addition, WS₂ nanosheets also play an essential role in preparing nanofluids.