Towards Scientific Understanding of Advanced Transforming Metals

这项研究是关于先进的润滑涂层的自下而上的发展，灵感来自自然润滑系统。 具体而言，该项目将开发新的聚（离子液体）涂层，并研究其与溶胀离子液体溶剂接触时的滚动和滑动摩擦性能。该系统在结合/移动的介质中提供带电荷的梳状聚合物链，非常像天然润滑剂，以及具有可定制粘度和溶胀特性的液体，以微调摩擦学性能。 研究的方法将采用表面引发的开环易位聚合从平面硅（氧化物）表面和二氧化硅微粒生长润滑涂层。该方法能够实现快速聚合物生长和定制离子液体侧链长度、组成和抗衡离子以研究对涂层的润滑性能的分子尺度影响的能力。最有前途的润滑系统，滑动的结果的基础上，将用于滚动润滑的二氧化硅微球限制在微通道和半球形聚合物腔。 如果成功，这项研究将导致新型润滑系统，改善滑动和滚动润滑系统。 这将大大减少微加工系统中的摩擦和磨损。外联将包括从这项研究，将影响本科课程，本科研究，并通过范德比尔特暑期学院为有天赋的八年级学生为期一周的专业课程的案例研究的发展。学生将学习组装涂层，测量其表面和摩擦学特性，并将这些特性与基本的分子间相互作用联系起来。这项研究还将创造一个更好的理解，在高中，让当地高中教师参与这项研究，通过研究经验的教师计划。

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.