Nanoscale Investigation of the Surface Reactivity of Ionic Liquids under Harsh Tribological Conditions

恶劣摩擦条件下离子液体表面反应性的纳米级研究

• 批准号: EP/P012914/1
• 负责人: Filippo Mangolini
• 金额: $ 12.83万
• 依托单位: University of Leeds
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FP012914%2F1
• 关键词: Nanoscale; Investigation; Surface; Reactivity; Ionic

Energy and resource losses in moving mechanical components as a result of friction and wear impose an enormous cost on national economies (in the UK the economic impact caused each year by friction and wear is estimated to be ~2% of the gross domestic product, i.e., £25 billion). As one particular example, one-third of the fuel used in passenger cars is employed to overcome friction in the engine, transmission, tyres, and brakes. For a single passenger car, this corresponds to approximately 340 litres of fuel per year, at a cost of £380 according to the average UK gas price in 2015, being spent in overcoming frictional losses. This results in wasted energy and unnecessary environmental emissions. The exploration of new classes of energy-efficient, environmentally-compatible lubricants, which can reduce friction and wear in engines, turbines, microelectronics, etc., is thus becoming increasingly important. In particular, it will be a key factor in attempting to achieve the challenging environmental objective of reducing greenhouse gas emission set during the 2015 UN Climate Change Convention. In the case of passenger cars, as an example, the new fuel efficiency target set by European environment and transport ministers for 2025, i.e., 95 g of CO2 per km (for comparison, the average value in 2014 was 123 g CO2 per km), constitutes a great challenge for scientists and engineers, who are now required to develop novel technical solutions and functional materials to improve car efficiency and decrease their environmental impact. The research in this study will contribute to this by providing novel insights into the physico-chemical basis underlying the promising properties of a class of "green" lubricants, namely ionic liquids (ILs), which have been recently synthesized and proposed as replacements of traditional lubricants or lubricant additives for a variety of applications, including automobile engines, microelectromechanical systems, hard disks, and aerospace. As an example, the low volatility of ILs makes them attractive as additives for engine oils, since the generation of no hazardous volatile compounds avoids blocking filters and catalyst degradation in the exhaust after-treatment systems, a concerning issue for existing lubricant additives. During the course of this research, a fundamental understanding of the mechanism of action of a class of ILs (imidazolium alkyl sulphate/phosphate) will be developed through the nanoscale investigation of their molecular reactivity on solid surfaces under mechanical contact and shear stress. To achieve this, a novel methodological approach, which is based on state-of-the-art advanced surface-analytical techniques with exceptional sensitivity and spatial resolution (including synchrotron-based techniques), will be used. The outcomes of the research, providing a starting point for rationally designing modified ILs with task-specific performance, can lead to the synthesis of energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly lubricants that are suitable for a variety of industrial applications (e.g., automotive, aerospace, microelectronics) and that can enhance sustainability through the reduction of the economic and environmental impact of tribology.

由于摩擦和磨损而导致的机械组件的能源和资源损失对国民经济施加了巨大的成本（在英国，每年受摩擦和磨损造成的经济影响估计约占国内生产总值的2％，即250亿英镑）。作为一个特别的例子，在乘用车中使用的燃料中有三分之一是为了克服发动机，变速箱，轮胎和制动器的摩擦。对于一辆乘用车，根据2015年英国的平均天然气价格，每年约340升燃料，费用为380英镑，用于克服摩擦损失。这导致浪费能量和不必要的环境排放。因此，对新型节能，环境兼容的润滑剂的探索可以减少发动机，涡轮机，微电子等的摩擦和磨损，因此变得越来越重要。特别是，这将是试图实现挑战环境目标的关键因素，以减少2015年联合国气候变化大会期间设定的温室气体排放。例如，就乘用车而言，欧洲环境和运输部长为2025年设定的新燃料效率目标，即每公里的95克二氧化碳（每公里）（为了进行比较，2014年的平均价值为每公里123 g CO2），这是对科学家和工程师的巨大挑战，他们现在需要发展新型的技术溶液和功能效率，并降低了其环境效率的效率，并降低了他们的环境效率。这项研究中的研究将通过提供对物理化学基础的新见解，从而使一类“绿色”润滑剂的承诺特性，即离子液体（ILS），即最近合成并提议，这些润滑剂是替代传统润滑剂或润滑剂添加剂，包括各种适用机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机机，这些较高数字为机机上；航空航天。例如，ILS的低波动性使它们作为发动机油的添加剂具有吸引力，因为没有危险的挥发性化合物的产生避免了排气后处理后的过滤器和催化剂降解，这是现有润滑剂添加剂的问题。在这项研究过程中，将通过对机械接触和剪切应力下的固体表面上的分子反应性进行纳米级调查来开发对一类ILS（咪唑烷基硫酸盐/磷酸盐）作用机理的基本理解。为此，将使用一种基于具有特殊灵敏度和空间分辨率（包括基于同步加速器的技术）的最先进的表面分析技术的新型方法学方法。这项研究的结果为合理设计具有特定于任务的ILS的起点提供了一个起点，可以导致综合能源有效，环境友好的润滑剂，这些润滑剂适用于各种工业应用（例如，自动，汽车，航空航天，微电子电子学），从而可以通过培训来增强经济和环境的可持续性和环境的影响。