Excellent current-carrying tribological performance of liquid-like carbon dots in lubricating grease

When exposed to the electric current environment, the motor bearings in electric equipment often endure severe wear or arc erosion. Hence, liquid-like carbon dots (LCDs), an advanced conductive additive with great dispersibility and low-addition effectiveness, was designed and introduced into lithium-based grease to address the aforementioned current-carrying problem. LCDs could form a conductive network in grease to provide an effective electric current transport pathway, which improves the current-carrying tribological properties. Additionally, the ionic structure enables LCDs to easily adsorb on the substrate under current-carrying conditions and form a protective film. Thereby, this work not only provides some new insights into the current-carrying lubrication mechanism of conductive additives for grease, but also expands the potential application of LCDs in electric machinery.