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是二辛基磺基琥珀酸钠）作为模型聚合物添加剂用于发动机减摩。使用发动机添加剂可以防止腐蚀或磨损等破坏性影响，并赋予有益的性能，如改善发动机清洁度。此外，它还可以提高燃油经济性，即车辆行驶距离和燃油消耗之间的关系。这与汽车排放直接相关，使这一研究领域对现代社会至关重要。作为这个博士学位的一部分，我们希望使用一个定制的摩擦计，适合中子束线。这将使我们能够探测分子在金属-液体界面的构象，从而推断不同的聚合物有机摩擦改性剂在相边界的聚集行为。然后将有可能将测量的结构与观察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，选择AOT作为出发点，因为它是一种经过充分研究的分子，其本体自组装是众所周知的。我们的目标是改进表面活性剂的结构，并继续优化减摩效果。表面活性剂将由布里斯托大学的合作者合成。它们的吸附行为也将通过吸附等温线进行测试，这将允许量化这些表面活性剂可以涂覆到金属表面上的程度。

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.