Surface Functionalization of WS2 Nanosheets with Alkyl Chains for Enhancement of Dispersion Stability and Tribological Properties.

Tungsten disulfide (WS2) exhibits intriguing tribological properties and has been explored as an excellent lubricious material in thin-film and solid lubricants. However, the poor dispersibility of WS2 has been a major challenge for its utilization in liquid lubricant applications. Herein, a top-down integrated approach is presented to synthesize oxygenated WS2 (WS2-O) nanosheets via strong acid-mediated oxidation and ultrasound-assisted exfoliation. The ultrathin sheets of WS2-O, comprising 4-7 molecular lamellae, exhibit oxygen/hydroxyl functionalities. The organosilanes having variable surface-active leaving groups (chloro and ethoxy) are covalently grafted, targeting the hydroxyl/oxygen functionalities on the surface of WS2-O nanosheets. The grafting of organosilanes is governed by the reactivity of chloro and ethoxy leaving groups. The DFT calculations further support the covalent interaction between the WS2-O nanosheets and organosilanes. The alkyl chain-functionalized WS2-O nanosheets displayed excellent dispersibility in mineral lube base oil. A minute dose of chemically functionalized-WS2 (0.2 mg.mL-1) notably enhanced the tribological properties of mineral lube oil by reducing the friction coefficient (52%) and wear volume (79%) for a steel tribopair. Raman analysis of worn surfaces revealed WS2-derived lubricious thin film formation. The improved tribological properties are attributed to ultralow thickness, stable dispersion, and low shear strength of chemically functionalized WS2 nanosheets, along with protective thin film formation over the contact interfaces of a steel tribopair. The present work opens a new avenue toward exploiting low-dimensional nanosheets for minimizing energy losses due to high friction.

Using the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT) in Zimbabwe: A Cross-Sectional Study of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services in 50 COVID-19 Isolation Facilities.

The availability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is a key prerequisite for quality care and infection prevention and control in health care facilities (HCFs). In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance and urgency of enhancing WASH coverage to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and other healthcare-associated infections. As a part of COVID-19 preparedness and response interventions, the Government of Zimbabwe, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and civil society organizations conducted WASH assessments in 50 HCFs designated as COVID-19 isolation facilities. Assessments were based on the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT), a multi-step framework to inform the continuous monitoring and improvement of WASH services. The WASH FIT assessments revealed that one in four HCFs did not have adequate services across the domains of water, sanitation, health care waste, hand hygiene, facility environment, cleanliness and disinfection, and management. The sanitation domain had the largest proportion of health care facilities with poor service coverage (42%). Some of the recommendations from this assessment include the provision of sufficient water for all users, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)- and disability-friendly sanitation facilities, handwashing facilities, waste collection services, energy for incineration or waste treatment facilities, cleaning supplies, and financial resources for HCFs. WASH FIT may be a useful tool to inform WASH interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Surface chemistry of graphene and graphene oxide: A versatile route for their dispersion and tribological applications.

Graphene, the most promising material of the decade, has attracted immense interest in a diversified range of applications. The weak van der Waals interaction between adjacent atomic-thick lamellae, excellent mechanical strength, remarkable thermal conductivity, and high surface area, make graphene a potential candidate for tribological applications. However, the use of graphene as an additive to liquid lubricants has been a major challenge because of poor dispersibility. Herein, a thorough review is presented on preparation, structural models, chemical functionalization, and dispersibility of graphene, graphene oxide, chemically-functionalized graphene, and graphene-derived nanocomposites. The graphene-based materials as additives to water and lubricating oils improved the lubrication properties by reducing the friction, protecting the contact interfaces against the wear, dissipating the heat from tribo-interfaces, and mitigating the corrosion by forming the protecting thin film. The dispersion stability, structural features, and dosage of graphene-based dispersoids, along with contact geometry, play important roles and govern the tribological properties. The chemistry of lubricated surfaces is critically reviewed by emphasizing the graphene-based thin film formation under the tribo-stress, which minimizes the wear. The comprehensive review provides variable approaches for the development of high-performance lubricant systems and accentuates the lubrication mechanisms by highlighting the role of graphene-based materials for enhancement of tribological properties.

Synergistic lubrication performance by incommensurately stacked ZnO-decorated reduced graphene oxide/MoS2 heterostructure.

Incommensurate stacking between two different types of two-dimensional layered materials furnished the weak interfacial interaction due to the mismatch of their lattice structure, which can be harnessed for development of new generation lubricant additives. Herein, a facile approach is presented to synthesize the ZnO-decorated reduced graphene oxide/MoS2 (Gr-MS-Zn) nanosheets. The Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic, Raman, and transmission electron microscopic analyses confirmed the preparation of Gr-MS-Zn heterostructure. The MoS2 nanosheets having 3-7 molecular lamellae are thoroughly distributed over the graphene skeleton via weak interfacial interaction. The curved and bent structure of MoS2 nanosheets grown over the graphene lamellae subsidized the cohesive interaction and furnished the stable dispersion of Gr-MS-Zn in the fully formulated engine oil. The minute dose of Gr-MS-Zn as a nano-additive to engine oil significantly enhanced the tribological performance between the steel-steel tribopair by decreasing the friction (37%) and the wear volume (87%). The microscopic and spectroscopic analyses revealed the formation of a Gr-MS-Zn-based surface protective tribo thin film of low shear strength. The enhanced tribo performance is collectively attributed to (a) uninterrupted supply of ultrathin Gr-MS-Zn nanosheets to tribo-interfaces, (b) stable dispersion of Gr-MS-Zn, and (c) the significantly low shear strength, arising from weak interfacial interaction between the incommensurately stacked graphene and MoS2 nanosheets.

Graphene-Based Aqueous Lubricants: Dispersion Stability to the Enhancement of Tribological Properties.

The present investigation demonstrates a green and scalable chemical approach to prepare aminoborate-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO-AmB) for aqueous lubricants. The chemical, structural, crystalline, and morphological features of rGO-AmB are probed by XPS, FTIR, Raman, XRD, and HRTEM measurements. The spectroscopic analyses revealed the multiple interaction pathways between rGO and AmB. rGO-AmB exhibited long-term dispersion stability and improved the thermal conductivity of water by 68%. The thermal conductivity increased with increasing concentration of rGO-AmB and temperature. rGO-AmB as an additive to water (0.2%) enhanced the tribological properties of a steel tribopair under the boundary lubrication regime by the significant reduction in friction (70%) and wear (68%). The tribo-induced gradual deposition of an rGO-AmB-based thin film facilitated the interfacial sliding between the steel tribopair and protected it from the wear. The ultralow thickness, excellent dispersibility in water, high thermal conductivity, intrinsic low frictional properties, and good affinity toward the tribo-interfaces make rGO-AmB a potential candidate for aqueous lubricants.

Structural-Defect-Mediated Grafting of Alkylamine on Few-Layer MoS2 and Its Potential for Enhancement of Tribological Properties.

Two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides possess inherent structural characteristics that can be harnessed for enhancement of tribological properties by making them dispersible in lube media. Here, we present a hydrothermal approach to preparing MoS2 nanosheets comprising 4-10 molecular lamellae. A structural-defect-mediated route for grafting of octadecylamine (ODA) on MoS2 nanosheets is outlined. The unsaturated d orbitals of Mo at the sulfur vacancies on the MoS2 surface are coupled with the electron-rich nitrogen center of ODA and yield ODA-functionalized MoS2 (MoS2-ODA). The MoS2-ODA nanosheets exhibit good dispersibility in lube base oil and are used as an additive (optimized dose: 0.1 mg·mL-1) to mineral oil. It is shown that even at low concentration, MoS2-ODA nanosheets significantly reduce the friction (48%) and wear (44%). Microscopy (field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM)) and spectroscopy (Raman and elemental mapping) analyses of worn scars revealed the formation of MoS2-based protective thin films for lowering of friction and wear. This work, therefore, presents a pathway for low-friction lubricants by deploying functionalized low-dimensional material systems.

Chemically functionalized graphene for lubricant applications: Microscopic and spectroscopic studies of contact interfaces to probe the role of graphene for enhanced tribo-performance.

Shear-induced transfer of graphene on the contact interfaces was studied by microscopic and spectroscopic analyses of steel balls lubricated with chemically functionalized graphene-based mineral lube base oil (SN-150). The 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (DtBHBA) grafted-graphene (Gr-DtBHBA) was prepared by two-steps approach using graphene oxide as a precursor. Chemical and structural features of Gr-DtBHBA are probed by FTIR, XPS, Raman, TGA, and HRTEM analyses. The van der Waals interaction between the tertiary-butyl group in the Gr-DtBHBA and hydrocarbon chains of mineral lube base oil facilitates the dispersion of Gr-DtBHBA in the SN-150 lube base oil, which is very important for the optimized performance of Gr-DtBHBA as a lubricant additive. The minute dosing (0.2-0.8 mg mL-1) of the Gr-DtBHBA in the SN-150 lube base oil showed the significant reduction in the coefficient of friction (40%) and wear scar diameter (17%) under the rolling contact between steel balls. The microscopic and EDX analysis of the worn area suggested the role of Gr-DtBHBA nanosheets for enhanced tribo-performance of the SN-150 lube base oil. A detailed Raman study of the worn area of steel ball revealed the deposition of a graphene-based tribo thin film in the forms of irregular patches. The shear-induced deposition of graphene thin film on the contact interfaces reduced the friction and protected the tribo-surfaces against the wear.