Recent advances in polyalkylene glycol base oil

Polyethers are a class of base oils with good solubility, thermal stability, shear resistance and lubricity and are widely used in chemical, electronic, mechanical and material fields. Polyalkylene glycol (PAG) base oils have attracted much attention in industry for their non-corrosive, non-toxic and structural designability. This review first describes the relationship between structural properties and lubrication characteristics of PAG. Secondly, the main synthesis strategies of PAG are analyzed and reviewed. The industrial applications and their characteristics based on PAG are summarized to support future studies on the formation of high-value-added PAG derivative products.