Friction and wear are unavoidable in mechanical movement. The use of lubricants with nano-additives can effectively reduce friction and wear, which is of great significance to saving energy and protecting the environment. At present, great progress has been made in the scientific research and industrial application of nano-additives for lubricants. This paper mainly introduces the types of nano-additives for lubricants (such as carbon nanomaterials, nano-metals, nano-oxides, sulfides, complexes, polymers, etc.), the tribological properties of lubricants with different components of nano-additives, and the lubrication mechanisms of the nano-additives (including tribofilm formation, rolling ball bearing effect, repairing effect, polishing effect, and synergistic effect). It also deals with the dispersion of nano-additives in lubricants and the influences of their particle size and microstructure on the tribological properties of lubricants. This review outlines the performance requirements of nano-additives in different lubrication states, discusses the use of nano-additives in challenging working conditions, and identifies various industrial oil nano-additives with reference to the appropriate options in diverse working environments. Furthermore, the existing problems of nano-additives and their application prospects are summarized. This review, hopefully, would help to shed light on the design and synthesis of novel high-performance nano-additives and promote their application in engineering.

机械运动中不可避免地会产生摩擦和磨损。使用含有纳米添加剂的润滑油可以有效减少摩擦和磨损，对于节约能源、保护环境具有重要意义。目前，润滑油纳米添加剂的科研和工业化应用已取得较大进展。本文主要介绍了润滑油用纳米添加剂的类型（如纳米碳材料、纳米金属、纳米氧化物、硫化物、络合物、聚合物等），不同成分纳米添加剂的润滑油的摩擦学性能，以及纳米添加剂的润滑机制（包括摩擦膜形成、滚珠轴承效应、修复效应、抛光效应和协同效应）。它还研究了纳米添加剂在润滑油中的分散情况以及它们的粒径和微观结构对润滑油摩擦性能的影响。本综述概述了纳米添加剂在不同润滑状态下的性能要求，讨论了纳米添加剂在具有挑战性的工作条件下的使用，并参考不同工作环境下的适当选择确定了各种工业油纳米添加剂。进一步总结了纳米添加剂存在的问题及其应用前景。希望这篇综述能够有助于阐明新型高性能纳米添加剂的设计和合成，并促进其在工程中的应用。