Fundamental considerations for future solid lubricants

Properties important to the performance of solid lubricants are discussed. Those properties include shear characteristics, coherence between particles, resistance to cold flow, adherence to the substrate, applicable chemical thermodynamics and kinetics of materials and environments, polymorphism, and rheology. The following generalizations are made: (1) chemical thermodynamics and kinetics are powerful tools for use in determining the useful environments and methods of application for solid film lubricants; (2) the primary requirement for a solid lubricant is low shear strength; (3) the rheology of solid film constituents and formulations is likely to be of vital importance to performance and life; and (4) adherence and mobility of surface films is another primary requirement for long lived solid lubricants