Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study a novel Mannich adduct of benztriazole-containing diphenylamine (coded as BD) and its anti-oxidation properties as an additive in two typical synthetic ester-based oils.
Design/methodology/approach – The anti-oxidation properties in two typical synthetic ester-based oils were evaluated in detail, using rotating pressure vessel oxidation test. The tribological properties of BD in synthetic ester-based oil (A51) were also tested with Optimal SRV-I oscillating friction and wear tester at atmosphere.
Findings – The results of tests demonstrated that the novel BD compound is, indeed, a high-performance anti-oxidation additive that was able to remarkably improve the oxidation stability of synthetic ester-based oils, when it was added at only 0.5 per cent concentration and compared with the base oils containing 0.5 per cent of the commercial available antioxidant additives such as 2, 6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol and octyl-butyl diphenylamine. A plausible mechanism of exceptional synergistic anti-oxidation was proposed.
Originality/value – This paper first investigated the anti-oxidation properties and mechanisms of the compound with the structure of BD, which can be very useful and would promote the application of BD antioxidant in the lubricant industry.