Spatiotemporal manipulation of boundary lubrication by electro-charging and electrochemical methods

Abstract Active tribology is an emerging technology that enables in-process fine-tuning of adhesion, friction, wear, and lubrication of interfaces by providing supplementary external stimuli. This chapter presents a survey on the progress in manipulation of boundary lubrication by electro-charging and electrochemical methods in liquid lubrication systems, which is a subset of the active tribology researches. Achievements of the researches on potential control of boundary lubrication in pure water, acids, aqueous surfactant solutions, and polar base oils with different kinds of additives, including ionic liquids, nanoparticles, and ZDDP, are reviewed consequently. The mechanisms of the observed effects of potential controlled boundary lubrication in various test conditions are discussed in the viewpoint of multiscale and multidisciplinary approaches. A summary of the findings and prospects for industrial application are provided.