Towards Scientific Understanding of Advanced Transforming Metals

这项研究是关于受自然润滑系统启发的先进润滑涂层的自下而上的发展。具体地说，该项目将开发新的聚(离子液体)涂层，并研究其与溶胀型离子液体溶剂接触时的滚动和滑动摩擦性能。该系统在绑定/移动介质中提供带电的梳状聚合链，与天然润滑剂非常相似，并提供具有可调粘度和溶胀特性的液体，以微调摩擦学性能。这项研究的方法是采用表面引发开环复分解聚合的方法，从平面硅(氧化物)表面和二氧化硅微粒中制备润滑膜。这种方法使聚合物能够快速生长，并能够定制离子液体侧链长度、组成和反离子，以研究分子尺度对涂层润滑性能的影响。基于滑动结果，最有前途的润滑系统将被用于限制在微通道和半球形聚合物腔中的二氧化硅微球的滚动润滑。如果成功，这项研究将导致改进滑动和滚动润滑系统的新型润滑系统。这将大大减少微制造系统中的摩擦和磨损。外展将包括开发这项研究的案例研究，将影响本科生课程，本科生研究，并通过范德比尔特暑期学院为有天赋的八名年级学生提供为期一周的专业课程。学生将学习组装涂层，测量涂层的表面和摩擦学特性，并将这些特性与基本的分子间相互作用联系起来。这项研究还将通过允许当地高中教师通过教师研究体验计划参与这项研究，从而在高中创造更好的理解。

This research is about the bottom-up development of advanced lubricant coatings that are inspired by natural lubricating systems. Specifically, the project will develop new poly(ionic liquid) coatings and investigate their rolling and sliding frictional properties in contact with a swelling ionic liquid solvent. This system offers charged, comb-like polymer chains within a bound/mobile medium, much like natural lubricants, and a liquid with tailorable viscosity and swelling properties to fine tune the tribological performance. The approach of the research will be to employ surface-initiated ring opening metathesis polymerization to grow the lubricant coatings from both planar silicon (oxide) surfaces and silica microparticles. This method enables rapid polymer growth and the ability to tailor the ionic liquid side chain length, composition, and counter ion to investigate molecular-scale effects on the lubricating performance of the coatings. The most promising lubrication systems, based on sliding results, will be employed for the rolling lubrication of silica microspheres confined in both microchannels and hemispherical polymeric cavities. If successful, this research will lead to new types of lubricated systems improving sliding and rolling lubrication systems. This will lead to greatly reduced friction and wear in microfabricated systems. Outreach will include the development of case studies from this research that will impact undergraduate classes, undergraduate research, and a week-long specialty course for gifted eight graders through the Vanderbilt Summer Academy. Students will learn to assemble coatings, measure their surface and tribological properties and connect these properties to basic intermolecular interactions. The research will also create a better understanding in high school by allowing a local high school teacher to participate in this research through a Research Experience for Teachers program.