【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】New progress achieved in the research on adaptive oil-gel lubricating materials at Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics

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With the rapid development of fields such as aerospace, ocean engineering, and high-end manufacturing, the negative impact of friction and wear on the performance, efficiency, and lifespan of mechanical equipment has become increasingly evident. The complex and variable harsh operating conditions pose new challenges to traditional lubricant materials. Developing high-performance adaptive lubricating materials that can change their own structure in response to external stimuli in order to adapt to complex operating conditions is of great scientific significance and practical value, as it ensures the efficient and long-lasting operation of high-end equipment. To address the issues faced by traditional lubricants in the use of new high-end equipment, such as creep, leakage, and high viscous resistance, which make it difficult to cope with complex and variable operating conditions. Recently, the Research Group on Material Surfaces and Interfaces at the National Key Laboratory of Lubricant Materials, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed a class of adaptive oleogel lubricant materials (PTA oleogels) capable of force-induced reversible phase transitions by constructing dynamic covalent networks with mechanical force-responsive properties. PTA oil gels can adapt to the start-up and shutdown of equipment, maintaining and rapidly switching between sol and gel states, and possess excellent lubrication stability as well as the ability to cope with changing operating conditions.