Unprecedented Lubricant Base Oil Friction Reduction by Block Copolymer Micelles and Crosslinked Micelles.

摘要

Friction leads to machine wear and energy waste. Friction is particularly high in the boundary lubrication regime (BLR) where protrusions of two mating surfaces are in contact and sliding between them is possible only if surface deformation occurs. A lubricated system enters the BLR when the load is high or the speed of lubricant flow through the contact zone is low or when both occur. Surfactants such as glyceryl monooleate (GMO) are used widely as additives in lubricant oils to reduce BLR friction because they adsorb onto the surfaces of machine parts, which are typically made of metals, to prevent the direct contact of the metal surfaces. Evidently, less force is required to shred off the adsorbed surfactant molecules than the metal protrusions.