Design and synthesis of boric acid-based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio-lubrication applications

Research on the chemical structures and physicochemical properties of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is crucial to develop high-performance DES-based lubricating materials for solving tribological problem, including friction and wear. Herein, a series of boric acid-based DESs (B-DESs) were synthesize...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qiulong Gao, Jinxia Hu, Dong Pei, Zhangpeng Li, Jinqing Wang, Shengrong Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Next Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825000905
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850236176513892352
author Qiulong Gao
Jinxia Hu
Dong Pei
Zhangpeng Li
Jinqing Wang
Shengrong Yang
author_facet Qiulong Gao
Jinxia Hu
Dong Pei
Zhangpeng Li
Jinqing Wang
Shengrong Yang
author_sort Qiulong Gao
collection DOAJ
description Research on the chemical structures and physicochemical properties of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is crucial to develop high-performance DES-based lubricating materials for solving tribological problem, including friction and wear. Herein, a series of boric acid-based DESs (B-DESs) were synthesized using choline chloride (hydrogen bond acceptor, HBA) and sorbitol/boric acid (hydrogen bond donors, HBDs) through a simple heating-stirring method. The experimental investigations and quantum chemistry calculation demonstrated that B-DESs exhibited optimized chemical structures, favorable rheological properties, low melting points (below −61.6 °C), high thermostability (with decomposition temperatures exceeding 282 °C), and biocompatibility. As lubricants, they showed exceptional tribological performance, achieving macroscale superlubricity with a friction coefficient of ∼0.0088 and excellent anti-wear properties on polyoxymethylene substrates even under high-load conditions. The exceptional lubrication performance was attributed to synergetic lubrication between the fluid nature of B-DESs and the self-lubrication property of the substrates, as well as the potential formation of lubricating films at the tribo-interface. This study introduces a novel and straightforward approach for synthesizing green and high-performance DES-based liquid superlubricity materials, and offering significant potential in bio-lubrication applications.
format Article
id doaj-art-9ed3b6abaefa4c2b88a4badf3bf817cf
institution OA Journals
issn 2949-8228
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Next Materials
spelling doaj-art-9ed3b6abaefa4c2b88a4badf3bf817cf2025-08-20T02:02:01ZengElsevierNext Materials2949-82282025-07-01810057210.1016/j.nxmate.2025.100572Design and synthesis of boric acid-based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio-lubrication applicationsQiulong Gao0Jinxia Hu1Dong Pei2Zhangpeng Li3Jinqing Wang4Shengrong Yang5State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaCenter of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources and Key Laboratory for Natural Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaCenter of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources and Key Laboratory for Natural Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Qingdao Center of Resource Chemistry & New Materials, Qingdao 266000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Qingdao Center of Resource Chemistry & New Materials, Qingdao 266000, China; Corresponding authors at: State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Corresponding authors at: State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaResearch on the chemical structures and physicochemical properties of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) is crucial to develop high-performance DES-based lubricating materials for solving tribological problem, including friction and wear. Herein, a series of boric acid-based DESs (B-DESs) were synthesized using choline chloride (hydrogen bond acceptor, HBA) and sorbitol/boric acid (hydrogen bond donors, HBDs) through a simple heating-stirring method. The experimental investigations and quantum chemistry calculation demonstrated that B-DESs exhibited optimized chemical structures, favorable rheological properties, low melting points (below −61.6 °C), high thermostability (with decomposition temperatures exceeding 282 °C), and biocompatibility. As lubricants, they showed exceptional tribological performance, achieving macroscale superlubricity with a friction coefficient of ∼0.0088 and excellent anti-wear properties on polyoxymethylene substrates even under high-load conditions. The exceptional lubrication performance was attributed to synergetic lubrication between the fluid nature of B-DESs and the self-lubrication property of the substrates, as well as the potential formation of lubricating films at the tribo-interface. This study introduces a novel and straightforward approach for synthesizing green and high-performance DES-based liquid superlubricity materials, and offering significant potential in bio-lubrication applications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825000905Boric acidDeep eutectic solventsFrictionLubricationSuperlubricity
spellingShingle Qiulong Gao
Jinxia Hu
Dong Pei
Zhangpeng Li
Jinqing Wang
Shengrong Yang
Design and synthesis of boric acid-based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio-lubrication applications
Next Materials
Boric acid
Deep eutectic solvents
Friction
Lubrication
Superlubricity
title Design and synthesis of boric acid-based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio-lubrication applications
title_full Design and synthesis of boric acid-based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio-lubrication applications
title_fullStr Design and synthesis of boric acid-based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio-lubrication applications
title_full_unstemmed Design and synthesis of boric acid-based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio-lubrication applications
title_short Design and synthesis of boric acid-based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio-lubrication applications
title_sort design and synthesis of boric acid based deep eutectic solvents for green liquid superlubricity and bio lubrication applications
topic Boric acid
Deep eutectic solvents
Friction
Lubrication
Superlubricity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825000905
work_keys_str_mv AT qiulonggao designandsynthesisofboricacidbaseddeepeutecticsolventsforgreenliquidsuperlubricityandbiolubricationapplications
AT jinxiahu designandsynthesisofboricacidbaseddeepeutecticsolventsforgreenliquidsuperlubricityandbiolubricationapplications
AT dongpei designandsynthesisofboricacidbaseddeepeutecticsolventsforgreenliquidsuperlubricityandbiolubricationapplications
AT zhangpengli designandsynthesisofboricacidbaseddeepeutecticsolventsforgreenliquidsuperlubricityandbiolubricationapplications
AT jinqingwang designandsynthesisofboricacidbaseddeepeutecticsolventsforgreenliquidsuperlubricityandbiolubricationapplications
AT shengrongyang designandsynthesisofboricacidbaseddeepeutecticsolventsforgreenliquidsuperlubricityandbiolubricationapplications