Synthesis of magnetic Fe3O4/graphene oxide nanocomposites and their tribological properties under magnetic field

Abstract

Nano and composite materials have received extensive research interest for improving tribological properties. In the present study, magnetic iron oxide/graphene oxide (Fe3O4/GO) nanocomposites were prepared by a simple and effective chemical co-precipitation method. The iron ions were generated and adsorbed onto the surface of GO in basic solution, followed by nucleation and growth of nanoparticles. The magnetic and structural properties of composites were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray powder diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Tribological properties of nanocomposites and pure Fe3O4 nanoparticles were evaluated using a ball-plate tribotester. It was found that the nanoparticles and composites improved friction and wear performances with magnetic field. The test results reveal that an increase in the concentration of GO in nanocomposites, the friction coefficient decreased significantly, the maximum reduction by 35.5% compared with pure Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The enhanced tribological performances of the nanocomposites can be explained by the combination of GO and magnetic nanoparticles.