New Forms of Liquid Crystals of Lubricants

最近引进的非水溶致液晶已经根据先前的美国国家科学基金会资助(MSM-8716928)对其润滑性能进行了研究。在摩擦系数方面，它们作为润滑剂的性能远远优于商用润滑脂，后者低至0.02。此外，它们还能够容纳不能在传统润滑脂中使用的添加剂。这些因素预示着非水溶致液晶有可能发展成为一类新的先进润滑剂。由这笔资金资助的项目是一个协调的基础研究计划的一部分，该计划旨在探索超低摩擦系数的机理，并合成新的添加剂并将其加入配方中。根据液晶的性质进行调整的新添加剂将在意大利都灵大学合成。克拉克森大学将使用胶体化学中各种最先进的技术对液晶润滑剂进行表征(这项资助)。摩擦学分析将在密歇根大学安娜堡分校(由摩擦学项目资助)进行。意大利国家研究理事会提供了协调这项研究的旅费。克拉克森的课程将强调三点：(1)对低摩擦系数的解释。(2)开发液晶润滑剂的结构，以加入具有与碳氢基润滑剂不相容的结构的润滑剂添加剂。(3)液晶结构相对于原始组分的分解产物的完整性，这可能会将多组分体系移动到相空间中不形成液晶的区域。

The recently introduced non-aqueous lyotropic liquid crystals have been investigated for their lubrication properties under a previous NSF grant (MSM-8716928). They demonstrated performance as lubricants far superior to commercial greases with respect to the friction coefficients, which were as low as 0.02. In addition, they are able to accommodate additives of such a nature that they cannot be used in conventional greases. These factors indicate potential for non-aqueous lyotropic liquid crystals to develop into a new class of advanced lubricants. The project funded under this grant is one part of a coordinated basic research program to probe the mechanism for the ultralow friction coefficients and to synthesize and incorporate new additives into the formulations. The new additives, adjusted to the properties of liquid crystals, will be synthesized at the University of Turin, Italy. Characterization of the liquid crystal lubricants using various state-of-the-art techniques from colloid chemistry will be performed at Clarkson University (this grant). Tribological analysis will be performed at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (funded by the Tribology Program). Travel funds for coordination of the research have been provided by the Italian National Research Council. The program at Clarkson will emphasize three points: (1) An explanation of the low friction coefficients. (2) exploitation of the structure of the liquid crystal lubricant to incorporate lubricant additives with structures incompatible with hydrocarbon based lubricants. (3) The integrity of the liquid crystal structure against decomposition products of the original components, which could potentially move the multicomponent system into a region of the phase space where liquid crystals do not form.