Water-based lubricants

In the chapter few examples of water-based lubricant systems of increasing complexity based on self-assembled surfactant layers are described. It is shown how the morphology of surfactant films, which is determined by the molecular structure of the surfactant, has important implications on the cohesion and lubricant properties are modified due to the co-adsorption of diblock copolymers on the primer surfactant layer. These examples illustrate the complexity of the subject and suggest pathways for the smart design of multi-component water-based boundary lubricants