Effect of branching on the lubricant properties: A molecular dynamics study

摘要

Molecular dynamics simulation has been employed to get an insight into the lubrication process between two parallel plates. We studied the effects of molecular architecture in the behaviour of these thin lubricant films. In this work the effect of branching on rheological properties and behaviour of lubricant film is examined. Our study shows viscosity and normal stress effects depend on the degree of branching. A weaker layering near the wall is observed for branched molecules. The results obtained here are useful in designing new lubricants at the molecular level.