The importance of progressive techniques in tribology research

Tribology research has developed to a point where one can explore the molecular composition of the vital films that separate metal surfaces in concentrated contacts under boundary lubrication conditions. Some practitioners have devoted their resources to one specific surface analytical tool as a means to understand the films formed in the boundary regime. In contrast, our approach to understand the boundary films formed by zinc dithiophosphates (ZnDTPs) consists of using several research tools, some of which do not even include surfaces! We shall show how a combination of such progressive techniques can benefit one’s understanding of a complex commercial product and the films that it forms.