Date: Monday 5th of November 2018, 14:00.
Location: INB3305 (Isaac Newton Building).

‘Active lubrication with ionic liquids’

by Fernando Bresme, Professor of Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London, UK.

Abstract:

Ionic liquids have been the subject of intense investigation in the last years. They feature high thermal stability and ionic conductivity, as well as good properties as lubricants. External electrostatic fields modify the structural and dynamical properties of the liquids, and potentially their performance as lubricants. The use of electrostatic fields might provide an approach to achieve tuneable lubricity. In this talk, I will discuss the impact of confinement and electric fields on the lubrication processes with ionic liquids. This problem can be addressed using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations and coarse-grained force-fields. The computational studies provide insight into the dependence of the friction force with the magnitude of the external fields, and clues in the quest of super-lubrication.