An cadmium dialkyl-dithiophosphyl-dithiophosphate additive was synthesized. A four-ball tester was used to evaluate the tribological performance of the additive in mineral base oil under different loads, compared with commercial additives. The results show that it exhibits excellent antiwear and load-carrying capacities and better than these additives. The surface analytical tools such as Auger Electron Spectrometer (AES), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) were used to investigate the topography, the contents and the depth profile of some typical elements on the rubbing surface of worn scar. Smooth and light topography of worn scar further confirms that the additive showed good antiwear capacities, the results of Auger electron spectrometer and energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicate that tribochemically protective films consists of cadmium compouds, sulfides, sulphates and phosphates were formed on the rubbing surface, which contribute to improving the tribological properties of lubricants. Particularly, the results from depth profile indicate that a large amounts of cadmium are rich in outer layer of surface, which play an important role in improving antiwear properties of oils. Finally, the antiwear mechanism of the additive were proposed.
PAES: Positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectrometer