| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Tribology Focus Topic | Friday Sessions |
| Session TR+AS+BI+NS-FrM |
| Session: | Nanoscale Wear and Biotribology |
| Presenter: | Nicholas Spencer, ETH Zürich, Switzerland |
| Authors: | C. Mathis, ETH Zürich, Switzerland L. Isa, ETH Zürich, Switzerland N.D. Spencer, ETH Zürich, Switzerland |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The role of the solvent is crucial in lubrication with polymer brushes and gels. Firstly it is important in maintaining the structure of the brush or gel layer in an unloaded state. Under loading, however, a new phenomenon becomes crucial, namely the Darcy flow of the solvent through the porous system. This aspect brings in a new set of properties to consider: the viscosity of the solvent determines the rate at which the solvent is forced through the porous network, and the sliding speed determines the extent to which the solvent is expelled from beneath the contact. The very act of expulsion of solvent is actually a process that bears a portion of the load. This phenomenon is well known in cartilage, and has been dubbed "fluid load support". This presentation will illustrate the ways in which this biomimetic approach can be utilized to protect polymer brushes and gels from wear, thus increasing their attractiveness as applicable lubricating systems, and will describe the approaches that can be used to quantify the process.