Tribological Properties of Liquid-Crystal Nanomaterials

Development of the efficient lubricants can improve durability of tribosystems and save energy in machinery. An optimum and cost-efficient trend is to improve tribological performance of the available lubricants by introduction of suitable additives. The experience shows that liquid-crystal cholesterol compounds (LCCC) can acquire planar orientation on the bearing surfaces and thus reduce friction of lubricated surfaces and increase their load-bearing capacity. It can be assumed that lubricant turns into a mesomorphous state where the molecules of the additive and lubricant acquire the ordered position.