9409431 Tsukruk Various potential boundary lubricant films will be formed on solid surfaces from thermostable rigid and semi-rigid polymers with functional groups. The polymers selected will have the potential of forming liquid crystalline order in the bulk state and smooth, monomolecular films in solid surfaces. Formation of the films will take place by a molecular engineering process that includes a combination of selective adsorption on the surface, self assembly and chemical bonding to the surface, and Langmuir- Blodgett transfer. Relationships between molecular structure and tribological performance will be determined at the macroscopic, microscopic, and atomic levels. ***
