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Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Parametric Optimization Design Method for Friction Plates of Hydro-Viscous Clutches
Published on: July 22, 2025
Tribotronic control of friction in oil-based lubricants with ionic liquid additives
P K Cooper1, H Li1, M W Rutland2
1Priority Research Centre for Advanced Fluids and Interfaces, Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. rob.atkin@newcastle.edu.au.
Abstract:
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that tribotronic control of friction using an external potential applied to a gold surface is possible for ionic liquid (IL) concentrations as low as 5 mol% in hexadecane. The IL used is trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)phosphinate, in which both the cation and anion have surfactant-like structures, and is miscible with hexadecane in all proportions. For IL concentrations less than 5 mol% friction does not vary with applied potential, but for 5 mol% and above changing the potential changes the composition of the IL boundary layer from cation-enriched (negative potentials) to anion-enriched (positive potentials). As the lubricities of the cation-rich and anion-rich boundary layers differ, this enables active control of friction in oil-based lubricants.
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