Synthesized and tribological behavior of NbSe₂ fibers

For search of new lubricant materials，NbSe₂ fibers with  diameters range of 80～160 nm were synthesized by the thermal decomposition of NbSe₃ obtained from the reaction of Se and Nb in the airtight vessel. The phase constitution and the morphology of the NbSe₂ fibers were analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction，scan electron microscopy  and transmission electron microscopy. The tribological behavior of NbSe₂ fibers as lubricating oil additive was investigated by the UMT-2 multi-specimen test system. The results show that the oil with NbSe₂ fibers has better tribological properties than the pure oil and the  oil with common layered NbSe₂ at atmosphere. This could be attributed to the steady structure of the NbSe₂ fibers. The copper sintered material with NbSe₂ fibers was prepared by the  process of powder metallurgy. The incorporation of NbSe₂ fibers leads to the great reduction of friction coefficients under all kinds of loads，which may be attributed to the lubricating film formed on the worn  surface.