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

从生物基原料中提取的室温离子液体（RTIL）润滑剂对环境无害，并且可以提供优于石油基润滑剂的润滑性能。然而，由于缺乏对其润滑机制的基本理解，RTILs的广泛应用受到了限制。重要的是，RTILs提供足够润滑的能力是由RTILs在机械部件表面的优先吸附决定的，而这又受到表面粗糙度和RTILs尺寸和结构之间相互作用的影响。期望通过改变RTILs的分子结构，可以在给定的表面上设计所需的吸附层。这项与工业界学术联络的资助机会（GOALI）奖将支持实现这一目标所需的建模和实验研究。该项目汇集了具有摩擦学和摩擦腐蚀、生物燃料和生化合成、分子尺度模拟和材料表征经验的学术界pi，并与工业合作伙伴一起评估机器部件中的RTILs并制定商业化计划。该团队将共同实现对RTILs润滑机制的新理解，这将使设计和制造具有卓越性能的生物基润滑剂成为石油基产品的可行替代品。新的区域运输工具将使工业受益，提高国家竞争力，并通过实现更清洁、更健康的环境而造福社会。同时，该项目将为学术界和工业界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。这个综合实验和计算项目的目标是了解RTIL对具有可变粗糙度和地形的滑动表面的润滑机制，从而设计出基于生物基原料的可持续润滑剂。将根据RTILs作为润滑剂的性能和生物降解性对其进行评估。通过这项基础研究，将回答以下关键科学问题：(1)RTILs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润滑表面表现出什么样的摩擦学（摩擦磨损）和摩擦腐蚀（协同磨损腐蚀）机制？(3)表面形貌的变化如何影响RTIL的润滑机制？(4)分子结构对RTILs的生物降解性有何影响？回答这些问题将为克服目前在工业环境中采用RTILs作为润滑剂的障碍提供所需的基础知识。这项研究将有助于：(a)深入了解影响材料和润滑剂降解的电化学和机械过程之间的相互作用；(b)抗摩擦腐蚀性能提高的rtil润滑系统的设计标准；(c)无害环境的可再生燃料，最终可以取代现有的石油基润滑油。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.