Synthesis of fullerene-acrylamide copolymer nanoball and its lubrication properties

A novel fullerene-acrylamide copolymer was synthesized via radical polymerization. It is soluble in polar solvents such as water, dimethyl sulfoxide etc. The product was characterized by FTIR, UV-Vis and GPC. TEM analysis shows that the average particle diameter is about 46 nm. Four-ball tests show that the addition of a certain concentration of the fullerene copolymer to base stock (2 wt% triethanolamine and 0.5 wt% OPZ aqueous solution) can effectively raise the load-carrying capacity (P_b value) and the antiwear ability. SEM analysis shows that the addition results in reducing diameter of wear scar and decreasing wear.