Improving the adsorption strength of amine-based organic additives for reducing wear

PA Bonnaud and H Moritani and T Kinjo and N Sato and M Tohyama, TRIBOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, 187, 108675 (2023).

DOI: 10.1016/j.triboint.2023.108675

Organic additives can mitigate wear significantly by adsorbing on rubbing steel surfaces in mechanical contacts. Our aim is to design additives that maximize the adsorption strength and the surface coverage for an optimal wear reduction. Molecular simulations are employed and combined with cross-pin wear tests to investigate antiwear properties of N,N - Bis(4-aminobutyl) oleylamine (b4ab-OA) taken as a promising additive. Results are compared with oleylamine (OA). The stronger energy of adsorption computed in molecular simulations for b4abOA correlates well with experiments that showed both reduced wear and a fast formation of the adsorbed film on rubbing surfaces. Overall, results suggest that the b4ab-OA additive is a better alternative than OA for protecting surfaces from wear.

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