Ian Wark Research Institute
ARC Special Research Centre
ARC Special Research Centre
Research Area: physical chemistry and materials science
Supervisor:
A/Prof David Beattie
Description: The study of friction and wear (tribology), is a key
area of science and engineering with the goal of reducing the cost
associated with energy inefficiency and the replacement of worn
mechanical components (estimated at greater than $420 billion annually
in the US alone). Nanotribology is a research topic that spans physics,
chemistry, biology, engineering and mathematics. Loosely defined,
nanotribology is the study of friction and lubrication on the molecular
scale, where differences in the chemical structure of a lubricant can
affect the friction and wear characteristics of a system. Boundary
lubrication is one of the dominant lubrication regimes in nanotribology,
and this involves reducing the coefficient of friction solely through
the presence of single layers of molecules on opposing surfaces.
The aim of this short project is to use in situ (i.e. while a lubricant layer is in contact between two rubbing surfaces) spectroscopy (Raman, and sum-frequency spectroscopy) to probe molecular structure changes in lubricant layers during the application of pressure and shear.
