Lubricant compositions, and synthesizing methods and applications of same

A lubricant composition used for in situ forming a carbon film on a target surface of a target machine, comprising:

• a base lubricant;
• and
• a plurality of lubricant additive molecules, wherein each lubricant additive molecule comprises:
• one or more surface-active groups attractable to a target surface;
• and
• a carbon containing component operable connected to the one or more surface active groups, wherein the carbon containing component comprise a carbon ring structure having a high ring strain that is metastable and activatable with a ring-opening reaction,
• wherein the one or more surface active groups comprise two or more carboxyl groups;
• wherein the plurality of lubricant additive molecules comprises cycloalkane-carboxylic acid molecules, wherein the cycloalkane-carboxylic acid molecules comprises cyclopropanecarboxylic acid (CPCa), cyclobutanecarboxylic acid (CBCa), cyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylic acid (CPDCa), and cyclobutane-1,1-dicarboxylic acid (CBDCa), or a mixture thereof;
• and
• wherein the carbon film is formed on the target surface of the target machine only when tribological energy activates the lubricant additive to unravel the carbon containing component under a pressure and a temperature during operation.