Citation: Yihan Fu, Xinyi Wang, Sen Li, Weifeng Lin, Mingjie Liu. Molecularly-engineered zwitterionic micelles for adaptive lubrication[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(6): 111991. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111991 shu

Molecularly-engineered zwitterionic micelles for adaptive lubrication

Yihan Fu ^{a, b} ,
Xinyi Wang ^{a, b} ,
Sen Li ^{a, b} ,
Weifeng Lin ^{a, b, *,} ,
Mingjie Liu ^{a, b, *,}

a.
State Key Laboratory of Bioinspired Interfacial Materials Science, Bioinspired Science Innovation Center, Hangzhou International Innovation Institute, Beihang University, Hangzhou 311115, China
b.
State Key Laboratory of Bioinspired Interfacial Materials Science, School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China

linwf@buaa.edu.cn

liumj@buaa.edu.cn

Received Date: 9 July 2025
Revised Date: 15 October 2025
Accepted Date: 20 October 2025
Available Online: 22 October 2025

Figures(4)

Water-based lubrication systems incorporating nanoparticles as highly promising additives are of great importance for enabling sustainable and environmentally benign tribological solutions. However, persistent limitations encompass pronounced substrate dependence, inadequate dynamic responsiveness under operating conditions, and intrinsically constrained lubrication performance, collectively impeding their transition from laboratory potential to robust industrial deployment. To tackle these challenges, we have developed a substrate-adaptable and dual-responsive lysine-based surfactant (LBS) as a cutting-edge water-based lubrication additive. LBS achieves substrate-independent adsorption through multiple interactions between its head group and substrates of varying properties. LBS maintains consistent lubrication performance with minimal COF variation across substrates with divergent surface charges, confirming its adaptability to diverse tribological substrates. Notably, the engineered surfactant demonstrates outstanding lubricating properties, achieving a coefficient of friction (COF) of ~0.06 under extreme pressure condition (~500 MPa), a 95% reduction in COF compared to pure water and maintaining stable lubrication over 25,000 cycles without significant wear or interfacial degradation. Additionally, by leveraging the pH sensitivity of the molecular structure and the temperature responsiveness of the micellar assembly, the COF can be rapidly modulated over a 10-fold range in response by changes pH and temperature. By synergistically integrating universal substrate adaptability with stimuli-responsive behavior, this work not only ensures stable lubrication in complex substrates, but also opens new avenues for the intelligent design of surfactants, offering significant potential for large-scale applications in intelligent lubrication.
- Zwitterionic surfactant,
- Substrate-adaptable,
- Dual-responsive,
- Hydration lubrication,
- Lubricant additive
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