A review of recent developments of friction modifiers for liquid lubricants (2007–present)

Due to the increasing demand of low emission and fuel economy, friction modifiers have been widely used in lubricating compositions to adjust friction and wear properties of lubricants. Recent achievements in the application of friction modifiers for liquid lubricants (2007–present) are reviewed in this paper. There are three types of friction modifiers for liquid lubricants: organomolybdenum compounds, organic friction modifiers, as well as nanoparticles. The tribological properties and lubrication mechanisms of these friction modifiers are discussed. The problems and some suggestions for the future directions of research on friction modifiers are proposed.