9632351 Spada Under an SGER award a study will be made of the possible role of electron transfer from frictionally produced electrical charges on the degradation of high-performance lubricants of the perfluoroalkyl ether (PFPE) class of lubricants. Electrochemical studies will be carried out under oxygen-free and low-oxygen atmospheres to assess the electrochemical activity of these relatively stable molecules. The study could be a first step in determining the significance of tribochemical events in lubricant breakdown in general. March 12, 1996 Jorn Larsen-Basse
