Study of structures formed in organic friction modifiers solutions - influence of shear, additive and solvent type, and water concentration

Organic friction modifiers (OFMs) are surfactant-type molecules widely used as additives in lubricating and transmission oils, next to other types of friction modifiers, such as zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP). However, environmental concerns about ZDDP drive research on alternatives that contain no P and S elements. Despite research on systems containing both ZDDP and OFM(s), there are insufficient data about the friction mitigating mechanism of OFMs only, especially using in situ X-ray techniques on the lubricating liquid itself. The aim of this session is to investigate the influence of shear rate, OFM and solvent type, and water concentration on shape and size of reversed micelles formed in OFM-oil solution, using simple flow cell and capillary measurements.