Nickel AOT surfactants as model polymeric additives for engine friction reduction

我们的目的是研究镍-AOT表面活性剂(其中AOT是琥珀酸二辛酯)作为发动机减摩的模型聚合物添加剂。使用发动机添加剂可防止腐蚀或磨损等破坏性影响，并提供有益的特性，如提高发动机清洁度。此外，它还可以提高燃油经济性，即车辆行驶里程和燃料消耗之间的关系。这与汽车尾气排放直接相关，使这一研究领域对现代社会至关重要。作为博士学位的一部分，我们希望使用一种定制的摩擦轰炸机，它可以安装在中子束线上。这将使我们能够探索分子在金属-液体界面的构象，从而推断不同的聚合物有机摩擦改进剂在相界面的聚集行为。然后，就可以将测量的结构与观测到的相关摩擦系数联系起来。我们希望改变表面活性剂的结构，而AOT被选为一个起点，因为它是一个研究得很好的分子，它的本体自组装是众所周知的。然后我们的目标是迭代表面活性剂的结构，并继续优化减摩。这些表面活性剂将由布里斯托尔大学的合作者合成。它们的吸附行为也将通过吸附等温线来测试，这将允许量化这些表面活性剂在金属表面上的涂层程度。

Our aim is to investigate Nickel-AOT surfactants (where AOT is dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate) as model polymeric additives for engine friction reduction. Using engine additives prevents destructive effects such as corrosion or wear, and confers beneficial properties such as improved engine cleanliness. Additionally, it allows for increased fuel economy, the relationship between distance travelled and fuel consumed by a vehicle. This is directly linked to vehicle emissions,making this research field of paramount importance to modern society. As part of this PhD, we wish to use a custom-built tribometer that fits onto neutron beamlines. This will allow us to probe the conformation of molecules at metal-liquidinterfaces, and thus to infer the aggregation behaviour of varying polymeric organic friction modifiers at the phase boundary. It will then be possible to link the measured structures back to the relevant friction coefficients observed. Wewish to change the surfactant structure, and AOT was chosen as a starting point because it is a well-studied molecule whose self-assembly in bulk is well-known. Our aim is then to iterate on surfactant structure, and to continue theoptimisation of friction reduction. The surfactants will be synthesised by collaborators working at the University of Bristol. Their adsorption behaviour will also be tested by means of adsorption isotherms, which will allow to quantify the extent to which these surfactants can coat onto metal surfaces.