Magnesium silicate hydroxide modified by carbon from hydrothermal carbonization of gelatin for tribological application

A new nanocomposite was prepared by combining Magnesium silicate hydroxide (MSH) with decomposed gelatin under one-pot hydrothermal synthesis conditions. The chemical reaction process involved the MSH formation and the gelation decomposing into carbonaceous species. The characterization of resultant nanoparticles revealed that the nanocomposite was a combination of hydrogenated amorphous carbon and MSH. And the addition of gelatin during synthesis increased the content of granular nanoparticles in nanocomposite samples. The results of tribological experiments of MSH modified by carbon (MSH@C) as lubricant additive showed that the nanocomposites presented much better anti-wear property and friction stability than the MSH without modification. Thus MSH@C nanocomposites were expected to be a promising candidate for lubricant additives. The amorphous carbon film was detected on the wear scar which might account for the significant tribological property.