Efficient cooperative lubrication can be achieved via the introduction of core–shell structure lubricant additives with hard core and soft shell, for obtaining the expected anti-wear performance from the structural changes in the friction process. In this study, C@Ag microspheres with a core–shell structure were prepared by the redox method with carbon spheres as the core and Ag nanoparticles as the shell. Their tribological behaviors as base oil (G1830) additive with different concentrations were investigated in detail. Compared with base oil, the addition of C@Ag particles at 0.5 wt% can reduce the coefficient of friction (COF) and wear volume (Wv) up to 15.5% and 88%, respectively. More importantly, C@Ag particles provide superior lubrication performance to single additive (like carbon sphere (CS) and Ag nanoparticle). C@Ag core–shell particles contribute to the formation of tribo-film by melt bonding of flexible Ag and carbon sphere (CS) toward excellent self-repair performance and high-efficiency lubrication. Hence, core–shell structural nanoparticles with hard-core and soft-shell hold bright future for high-performance lubrication application.

通过引入硬核和软壳的核壳结构润滑油添加剂可以实现高效的协同润滑，从摩擦过程中的结构变化获得预期的抗磨性能。本研究以碳球为核、Ag纳米颗粒为壳，采用氧化还原法制备了具有核壳结构的C@Ag微球。详细研究了它们作为不同浓度的基础油（G1830）添加剂的摩擦学行为。与基础油相比，添加0.5 wt%的C@Ag颗粒可使摩擦系数（COF）和磨损体积（Wv）分别降低高达15.5%和88%。更重要的是，C@Ag颗粒提供了比单一添加剂（如碳球（CS）和Ag纳米颗粒）更优异的润滑性能。 C@Ag核壳颗粒有助于通过柔性银和碳球（CS）的熔融粘合形成摩擦膜，从而实现优异的自修复性能和高效润滑。因此，具有硬核和软壳的核壳结构纳米粒子在高性能润滑应用中具有光明的前景。