Graphene (GN)-family materials show significant potential as electroregulated lubrication additives because of their tunable properties under electrical stimuli. However, a comprehensive comparison of their performance under such conditions is lacking, limiting their broader industrial adoption. This study explores the electroregulated friction behavior of GN, graphene oxide (GO), and fluorinated graphene (FG) nanosheets as grease additives. The results indicate that compared with the GO and FG additives, the GN additive demonstrated good antifriction and antiwear performance under constant negative electrical stimulation. It also demonstrates good stability and repeatability in friction regulation under varying electrical conditions, which is attributed to its deposition on contact surfaces, enhancing lubrication. Furthermore, the direction of electrical stimulation affects the oxidation (or defect) level of GN, with reduced oxidation levels (fewer defects) correlated with lower friction. These findings deepen the understanding of graphene-family materials and provide a basis for designing advanced nanoadditives with enhanced electroregulated performance.

An oil-impregnated porous polyimide (PI) retainer is used in space rolling bearings to improve the lubrication performance, which depends on the release of lubricant from the pores, and therefore is closely related to the pore size. To study the effect of pore size, in this work, PI materials with different pore sizes were prepared by preheating the retainer tube billet during the limit pressing process, and then the friction tests were conducted with the ball-on-ring mode. The results show that the applied load deforms the pores, allowing the lubricant to be squeezed out from the pore; the centrifugal effect induced by rotation also makes the lubricant migrate out of the pore. Therefore, for the same pore sizes, the friction coefficients decrease with the increasing loads and rotation speeds. In addition, it was found that there exists an optimal pore size for the best lubrication properties of porous PI material. Furthermore, the optimal pore size should be larger for lubricants with high viscosity. The microscopic mechanism for lubricant outflow from pores is clarified by molecular dynamic simulations. The insights gained in this study can guide the preparation of oil-impregnated porous retainers under different working conditions.