8th International Symposium on “Surfactants in Tribology”

The 23rd International Symposium on Surfactants in Solution (SIS2020) will be held on June 26 – July 1, 2020, at Maria Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland. As part of SIS2020, AOCS member Girma Biresaw (Peoria, IL, USA) and Kash Mittal (Hopewell Jct., NY, USA) are hosting a symposium on“Surfactants in Tribology.”

Surfactants perform a wide range of functions in tribology. These include basic lubrication functions such as control of friction and wear, as well as controlling a wide range of lubricant properties. Examples of lubricant properties that can be modified with the application of surfactants include emulsification/demulsification, bioresistance, oxidation resistance, rust/corrosion prevention, etc. Surfactants also spontaneously form a wide range of organized assemblies in polar and non-polar solvents. These include monolayers; normal/reverse micelles; oil/water (o/w) and w/o microemulsions; hexagonal and lamellar lyotropic liquid crystals; and uni- and multi-lamellar vesicles. The tribological properties of these organized surfactant structures have yet to be fully investigated and understood.

More recently, there has been a great deal of interest in certain surfactant organized assemblies such as self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). These structures are expected to play critical roles in the lubrication of a wide range of products, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). 
   
Whereas there is a great deal of literature on the topics of surfactants and tribology separately, there is very little information on the subject of surfactants and tribology together. This is despite the fact that surfactants play many critical roles in tribology and lubrication. This symposium is tasked with filling this gap in the literature linking surfactants and tribology.

The first symposium on “Surfactants in Tribology” was held as a part of the 16th International Symposium on Surfactants in Solution (SIS) in Seoul, South Korea, June 4–9, 2006 (SIS2006). Following the smashing success in Seoul, subsequent such symposia were successfully held at all the venues of SIS around the globe. They expect the Symposium in Lublin to be equally successful and would like to invite you to submit your abstract and participate. You can find the abstract template and guidelines here.

Oral and poster presentations are welcome. If you require special invitation or have other questions, please contact Girma Biresaw at girma.biresaw@usda.gov. Please make sure to select the “Surfactants in Tribology” track when submitting your abstract at the SIS2020 website.