Thermophysical Properties of Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) and Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3) in Bio-based Coconut Oil Hybrid Nanolubricant for Cleaner Metalworking Cutting Fluid Applications

Abstract

Green metalworking fluids have increasingly gained pivotal relevance as environmentally compatible lubricant with equivalent performance since conventional lubricant poses significant threat. This study performs experimental and theoretical discovery on the new approach to metalworking fluid; a bio-based coconut oil nanolubricant with hybrid nanoparticles of Al2O3/MoS2 regarding the thermophysical properties. The colloid was produced by suspending Al2O3 and MoS2 nanoparticles in coconut-based oil at different volumetric ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1 but equal volumetric concentrations of 0.3 vol%. The thermal conductivity of bio-based lubricants increased up to 4.3% with the addition of hybrid nanoparticles which was ascertained using KD2 Pro thermal analyzer. A contact angle goniometer was used to obtain the water drop profile and the maximum wettability of bio-based hybrid nanolubricant was obtained at 27.76° (Al2O3:MoS2 (1:1)) which indicates that incorporating both nanoparticles into the base system improved lubricant spreadability. The kinematic viscosity was evaluated through the viscometer and hybrid nanofluid possessed a remarkable increase in viscosity index of at least 49.6% (Al2O3:MoS2 (2:1)) among other samples. The stability test revealed that the nanolubricant (Al2O3:MoS2 (1:1)) was more stable than others. The experimental outcomes showed that the ratio of hybrid nanoparticles in base fluid has a significant role in enhancing thermophysical properties.