Control of Friction and Lubrication using Redox-Active Surface Monolayers

宏观层面的摩擦学现象，即，摩擦、润滑和磨损是接触表面之间分子水平相互作用的结果。因此，有越来越多的兴趣在设计系统，可以研究纳米摩擦学，描绘摩擦效应和表面结构之间的关系在分子水平上。我们将通过改变具有氧化还原活性的星形分子中心的电子数量来调节单层与表面的相互作用。环丙烯的还原不会改变臂的结构，因此相邻表面分子之间的相互作用将保持不变。用长烷基链官能化的氧化还原活性环丙烯鎓将沉积在表面上（例如，HOPG）。一系列具有不同长度的烷基链和带电或中性核心的类似化合物的摩擦学将使用接触模式AFM和STM进行研究，允许表面分子和分子分子之间的相互作用被独立地调整。

Tribological phenomena at the macroscopic level, i.e., friction, lubrication, and wear, are the result of molecular-level interactions between contacting surfaces. Consequently, there is increasing interest in designing systems that can be studied by nanotribology, delineating the relationship between friction effects and surface structure at the molecular level. We will tune monolayer-to-surface interactions by changing the number of electrons present in the centre of redox-active star-shaped molecules. Reduction of cyclopropeniums occur without altering the structure of the arms, so the interactions between neighbouring surface molecules will stay unchanged. Redox-active cyclopropeniums functionalised with long alkyl chains will be deposited on surfaces (e.g., HOPG). The tribology of a series of similar compounds with different lengths of alkyl chains and with charged or neutral cores will be studied using contact-mode AFM and STM, allowing the surface-molecule and molecule-molecule interactions to be tuned independently.