GOALI/Collaborative Research: Understanding Interfacial Mechanisms to Design and Manufacture High-Performance Biodegradable Ionic Liquid Lubricants

以生物基原料为原料的室温离子液体(RTIL)润滑剂是一种环境友好型润滑剂，其润滑性能优于石油基润滑剂。然而，由于缺乏对其润滑机理的基本了解，RTIL的广泛应用一直受到限制。重要的是，RTIL提供足够润滑的能力取决于RTIL在机械部件表面的优先吸附，而这又受到表面粗糙度与RTIL尺寸和结构之间的相互作用的影响。预计通过改变RTILs的分子结构，可以在给定的表面上形成所需的吸附层。这一学术联系机会(GOALI)奖将支持实现这一目标所需的建模和实验研究。该项目汇集了学术界在摩擦学和摩擦腐蚀、生物燃料和生物化学合成、分子尺度模拟和材料表征方面经验丰富的PI，以及将评估机械部件中的RTIL并制定商业化计划的工业合作伙伴。通过合作，该团队将对RTIL的润滑机制有一个新的理解，这将使设计和制造具有优异性能的生物基润滑剂成为石油产品的可行替代品。新的RTILs将使工业受益，提高国家竞争力，并通过创造更清洁、更健康的环境来造福社会。同时，该项目将为学术和工业领域的下一代工程师和科学家提供跨学科的教育、研究和培训机会。这个综合的实验和计算项目的目标是了解具有可变粗糙度和地形的滑动表面的RTIL润滑机理，以便能够从生物基原料中设计出可持续的润滑剂。将从它们作为润滑剂的性能和生物降解性两个方面对RTIL进行评估。通过这一基础性研究，将回答以下关键的科学问题：(1)RTIL如何在不同粗糙度的表面上吸附(形成润滑层)？(2)不同粗糙度的RTIL润滑的表面表现出什么样的摩擦学(摩擦和磨损)和摩擦磨损(协同磨损-腐蚀)机理；(3)表面形貌的变化如何影响RTIL的润滑机理？(4)分子结构在RTIL的生物降解性中起什么作用？回答这些问题将提供必要的基础知识，以克服目前在工业环境中采用RTIL作为润滑剂的障碍。这项研究将有助于：(A)深入了解影响材料和润滑油降解的电化学和机械过程之间的相互作用；(B)提高耐磨蚀性能的RTIL润滑系统的设计标准；以及(C)最终可以取代现有石油润滑剂的环境友好的RTIL。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) lubricants derived from bio-based feedstock are environmentally benign and can offer lubrication performance superior to that of petroleum-based lubricants. However, the broad application of RTILs has been limited by the lack of a fundamental understanding of their lubrication mechanisms. Importantly, the ability of RTILs to provide adequate lubrication is determined by the preferential adsorption of RTILs on the surfaces of machine components, which in turn is affected by the interplay between surface roughness and RTIL size and structure. It is expected that, by changing the molecular structure of RTILs, the desired adsorption layer can be engineered on a given surface. This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award will support the modeling and experimental research needed to achieve this goal. The project brings together PIs from academia with experience in tribology and tribocorrosion, biofuel and biochemical synthesis, molecular-scale simulation, and materials characterization with an industrial partner who will evaluate the RTILs in machine components and develop commercialization plans. Together, the team will achieve a new understanding of the lubrication mechanisms of RTILs that will enable design and manufacturing of bio-based lubricants with superior performance that are viable alternatives to petroleum-based products. The new RTILs will benefit industry, increasing national competitiveness, as well as society by enabling a cleaner, healthier environment. In parallel, this project will provide interdisciplinary education, research, and training opportunities for the next generation of engineers and scientists in both academic and industrial settings. The goal of this integrated experimental and computational project is to understand the mechanisms of RTIL lubrication for sliding surfaces with variable roughness and topography to enable design of sustainable lubricants from bio-based feedstock. The RTILs will be evaluated in terms of both their performance as lubricants and their biodegradability. Through this fundamental study, the following key scientific questions will be answered: (1) How do RTILs adsorb (form lubricating layers) on surfaces of varying roughness? (2) What tribological (friction and wear) and tribocorrosive (synergistic wear-corrosion) mechanisms are exhibited by RTIL-lubricated surfaces of varying roughness? (3) How do changes in surface topography influence RTIL lubrication mechanisms? (4) What is the role of molecular structure in the biodegradability of RTILs? Answering these questions will provide the foundational knowledge needed to overcome the current barriers to adopting RTILs as lubricants in industrial settings. This research will contribute to: (a) an in-depth understanding of the interplay between electrochemical and mechanical processes that affect material and lubricant degradation; (b) design criteria for RTIL-lubricated systems with improved tribocorrosion resistance; and (c) environmentally benign RTILs that can ultimately replace existing petroleum-based lubricants.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.