MXPA01001136A - Catalyzed lubricant additives and catalyzed lubricant systems designed to accelerate the lubricant bonding reaction - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention discloses novel catalyzed lubricant additives and catalyzed lubricant systems, which contain one or more catalysts, along with optional other additives, wherein the catalysts serve to accelerate the rate and increase the yield of the lubricant bonding reactions between the catalyzed lubricants andthe wear surfaces being lubricated.

Description

CATALYTIC LUBRICANT ADDITIVES AND CATALYTIC LUBRICATING SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO ACCELERATE THE REACTION OF LUBRICANT ACTION 5 TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the fields of lubricants, catalysts, organic and inorganic chemistry and more particularly, this invention relates to novel catalyzed lubricating additives as well as catalysed lubricating systems which contain one or more catalysts, wherein the catalyst serves to accelerate the speed and increase the performance of the lubricant bonding reactions between the catalyzed lubricants and the wearing surfaces that are lubricated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present state of the art is defined and illustrated in many descriptions with respect to the composition, formulation and performance of lubricant additives, lubricant systems containing additives. solid lubricants, the composition and formulation of -i J -metal coatings, the composition and formulation of catalysts and the chemistry and operation of lubricants containing solid lubricant additives, all of which have some relevance to the invention presented herein. These descriptions used as references in the patent application are included in the following. The references, in addition to the United States patents, are presented as follows: L.L. Cao, Y. M. Sund, and L. Q. Zheng, "Chemical Structure Characterization of Boundary Lubrication Film Using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Scanning Auger Microprobe Techiniques," ear, 140 (1990), pp 345-357. Harold Shaub, John Pandosh, Anne Searle, and Stan Sprague, "Mechamism Studies with Special Boundary Lubricant Chemistry," Society of Automotive Engineers, Paper 952475, 1995. Hal Shaub, John Pandosh, Anne Searle, Stan Sprague, and Martin Treuhaft, "Engine Durability, Emissions and Fuel Economy Studies with Special Boundary Lubricant Chemistry," Society of Automotive Engineers, Paper 941983, 1994. Keith Perrin, John Pandosh, Anne Searle, Hal Shaub, and Stan Sprague, "Radioactive Tracer Stuy of Start-Up Wear Versus Steady-State Wear in a 2.3 Liter Engine," Society of Automotive Engineers, Paper 952474, 1995. a ^^ £ f ^ ^ »^ A ^ a ^: a: ^ _ > IteiÉaÍÍ? - Patents of the United States which have particular relevance or are of significant interest with respect to the present patent application are highlighted and mentioned. See U.S. Patents 2,230,654 2,510,112 2, 993,567 3, 194, 762 3,247, 116 3, 314, 889 3,432,431 3,493,513 3,505,229 3,536, 624 3, 567, 521 3,592,700 3,607, 747 3, 636, 172 3, 640, 859 3, 723,317 3,806,455 3, 909,431 3, 933,656 3, 969,233 4,029,870; 4,036,718; 4,127,491; 4224,173; 4,252,678 4,349,444; 4,465,607; 4,484,954 4,500,678 4,584, 116,615,917; 4,657,687; 4,770,797 4,803, 005 4,834, 894 4,857,492; 4,859,357; 4,888,122 4,892,669 5,009,963 5,160,646; 5,350,727; 5,373,986; 5,447,896; 5,460,661. Metal wear surfaces designed and finished appropriately show minimal flanges or projections which are commonly referred to as "asperities". The asperities are a natural consequence of the processes of cutting, machining and finishing of metal. In addition, when such wear surfaces are intended to be lubricated with liquid or semi-solid lubricants, it is currently a generally accepted belief that the extent of the roughness needs to be approximately 0.1 micrometers (4 microinches), in order to retain sufficient quantities of lubricants. Liquid or semi-solid to protect against wear. In In those cases where the wear surfaces are properly designed and lubricated with liquid or semi-solid lubricants, the lubricants will interpose a film between the adjacent wear surfaces and tend to protect them against wear. In some cases where the liquid or semi-solid film is constantly kept on wear surfacesAlthough the mechanisms that are lubricated are working, the lubrication regime is called "hydrodynamic lubrication". Hydrodynamic lubrication with properly designed lubricant systems can provide very reliable protection against wear for lubricated wear surfaces. However, in order to obtain a high degree of reliability, the liquid or semi-solid lubricating film must remain interposed, must be continuous and of a sufficient thickness between the adjacent wear surfaces, so as to avoid direct contact of the surfaces of wear, or at least minimized. The proper design of the liquid or semi-solid lubricants to provide protection against wear will be predicted based on the use with which the lubricants should work. The use can be determined as a function of the adjacent wear surface materials, the clearances, the load imposed on the wear surfaces, the Relative velocity of wear surfaces, temperatures, pressures and other related environmental conditions. In those cases where the wear surfaces requiring lubrication are not immersed in the lubricants, the design of the mechanisms is often such that the lubrication depends on one or more of the wearing surfaces in moving, dragging, impelling or driving. lubricants within the areas of potential wear. The period that exists after the initial relative movement of the wear surfaces, and before the establishment of a hydrodynamic lubrication, is termed as the "limiting period", and the lubrication characteristics that exist during this period are referred to as "limit lubrication". . The term "limits" is a term in the art in the fields of mechanism design and lubrication used by a long-time British researcher who once studied ball bearings. He observed that when a shaft stops rotating inside a ball bearing, and is at rest, there is a metal-to-metal contact between the shaft and the ball bearing. Subsequently, when the axis is allowed to start spinning again, the researcher observed that there is a "limit period" before the lubricant applied to the Ball bearing dominate to form a film and establish a hydrodynamic lubrication. The term "limit lubrication", which has its roots in the study carried out by this British researcher, has been used within the lubrication industry since that time. The term is used to indicate the character of lubrication that is carried out with respect to the adjacent wear surfaces in the period of time from the start to the moment in the which is established a continuous film of lubricant to carry out the hydrodynamic lubrication. It also indicates the character of lubrication that is carried out from the moment of braking to the point where the lubricating film is lost and the relative movement of the adjacent wear surfaces. Limit lubrication is often also associated with mechanisms which undergo acceleration, which include acceleration due to an abrupt and rigid steering change while in operation. Currently, the term "Limit lubrication" is often used to refer to a lubrication regime that is not completely hydrodynamic. The purpose of properly designed mechanisms and programs designed to lubricate these mechanisms, is to establish and maintain a film of ~ »I < rife «# > . - • at-fct'tBafeMS-tfe, * -. lubricant between adjacent wear surfaces of sufficient thickness to avoid or at least minimize contact between wear surfaces. In addition, it is the objective to minimize the energy necessary to move the adjacent wear surfaces in the environment of the lubricants. These objectives are currently best obtained in the hydrodynamic lubrication regime by those skilled in the techniques of lubrication mechanisms and designs, by using lubricants with the lowest possible permissible viscosity, where the separation of the adjacent wear surfaces is maintains continuously or satisfactorily. Unfortunately, all the mechanisms that require lubrication can not be designed to maintain a hydrodynamic lubrication regime. This is so for various reasons, such as the reciprocating or irregular movements of the mechanisms, which results in irregular movement speeds from zero to a certain maximum value and again back to zero all in one cycle of motion. In addition, all lubricated mechanisms must begin and end the operation together, from one moment to another, functions which produce, periods which is difficult, if not impossible to maintain hydrodynamic lubrication. Therefore, although the mechanisms can be designed optimally To operate with the state of the art hydrodynamic lubrication most of the time, it is likely that the same mechanisms will cause them to experience boundary lubrication conditions at various times in their movement or operational cycle, but it is highly probable that the mechanisms undergo to limiting lubrication conditions at certain times during the duration of its operational life. Affordable knowledge of lubrication mechanism and design as well as operation have long been recognized that mechanisms requiring lubrication are subject to a much higher rate of wear during periods of limit lubrication than during periods of hydrodynamic lubrication, within the Present state of mechanism and lubrication design techniques. The relatively high rate of wear during boundary lubrication periods has been determined to be due to a disorderly high incidence of direct contact between adjacent wear surfaces. This wear surface contact is very often caused by the loss of lubricants due to the acceleration of the mechanisms. Acceleration results from a simple start or inactivation or a rapid change in speed and a rapid change in directional movement, such as movement centrifugal, sinusoidal movement, reciprocating movement, et cetera. This propensity for lubricant loss can be exacerbated by decreased lubricant viscosities at elevated operating temperatures, and by simple gravity draining of the lubricants away from the wear surfaces of the mechanisms during operation and subsequent inactivation. Based on the sole consideration of minimizing energy dissipation, during periods of hydrodynamic lubrication, the state of the art of lubrication must compel the use of liquid lubricants of the lowest possible viscosity, which allows adjacent wear surfaces be subjected to hydrodynamic treatment one over the other, avoiding any direct contact. However, due to the inevitable periods of limit lubrication, the relatively low viscosity of the liquid lubricants is known to be inadequate, without other additives, to also minimize the wear rates of the mechanisms. The current state of the art solves this lubrication dichotomy by using relatively low viscosity liquid lubricants with solid lubricants suspended therein, or preferably with finely divided solid lubricating particles combined with liquid or semi-solid lubricant bases, and by doing this from this mode colloidal systems degenerate, stable under all operating conditions. In addition to the large amount of laudable liquid and semisolid lubricants which are currently known in the lubricant art, there are solid lubricants that differ in themselves, by virtue of their relatively low coefficients of friction together with their special structural or special chemical characteristics. , or both. Some of the solid lubricants which have found to be favorable show laminar network structures, such as molybdenum disulfide and graphite. These structural characteristics result in relatively low friction coefficients, when these materials are used in lubricant applications. Other solid lubricants such as the various organic polymers, ether compounds, fatty acid compounds and carbon, calcium, barium and lithium fluorides also show relatively low coefficients of friction. In addition, these solid lubricants are generally less influenced by liquid lubricants because of the adverse effects of temperature changes, insofar as they tend to not easily drain or be removed from the wear surfaces they lubricate. In addition, in many cases solid lubricants are adsorbed, absorbed or chemically bound to the wear surface, and with Frequency provides satisfactory lubrication at the time and place where a liquid lubricant alone could not do so. Properly designed lubricant systems contain solid lubricants and must have solid lubricants evenly distributed throughout the lubricant base medium, again, preferably in stable colloidal systems, and the solid particles must be small enough to easily pass through all of them. the galleries and lubrication filters and can easily access all the interstices of the mechanisms which lubrication systems are designed to lubricate. Solid lubricants generally used as additives for liquid or semi-solid base lubricants commonly pass through a series of stages whereby they are first adsorbed on the wear surfaces of the mechanisms to be lubricated. Subsequently, the solid lubricants are generally absorbed within the wear surfaces, and in some cases the solid lubricants finally react and chemically bond to the wear surfaces to form persistent durable films, which show relatively low coefficients of friction. These three stages are considered as part of a union reaction comprehensive in the present. At the time that solid lubricants have been attached to wear surfaces, they are expected to provide adequate lubrication during periods of limit lubrication, sufficient to prevent or reduce wear. Some of the solid lubricants currently in service or proposed for service are: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); Teflon m (PTFE); perfluoropolyether oxide; ethylene polymers, propylene polymers; fluorophenylene polymers; perfluoropolyether; polyol monoesters of fatty acids; fatty acid amides; fats and sulforated esters; molybdenum and sulfur compounds; metallic soaps of fatty acids; graphite; carbon fluoride; fluoride and carbon chloride; barium fluoride; calcium fluoride and lithium fluoride. It is likely that not all of these solid lubricants will be able to progress through the three stages mentioned above to reach a state where solid lubricants will bond to the wear surfaces. In fact, solid lubricants can be conveniently divided into two groups: unbound solid lubricants and solid solids lubricants. Unbound solid lubricants are sometimes applied directly to the surfaces to be lubricated, usually in the form of a powder, and adhere ai itoí jH & YES? jlisJtiy-i-áttiSSf " to a certain degree of mechanical or molecular action. However, solid lubricants in this category, by definition, are not physically or chemically bound to the surfaces that are treated in this way. Consequently, the properties of solid lubricants and the fact that they adhere but do not join together generally serve to define the performance characteristics for any specific application. Since there is no binding of the solid lubricants to the surfaces, in the case of unbound solid lubricants, there is a potential, particularly in load bearing applications, that such lubricants be excluded from adjacent wear surfaces bearing load. and that they do not remain in position to provide the desired lubrication performance for a significant period of time. For this reason, it is considered that unbound solid lubricants are useful only for applications that do not bear load or for applications where "non-adherent" properties are sought, for example cooking surfaces, surfaces resistant to adhesion and rust, and so on. . By definition, the bonded solid lubricants used herein are bonded to the desired wear surfaces, generally by virtue of first adsorption and after absorption, followed subsequently by a joint , ^ | ^ = i | gjj ^ «yjggg £ gj ^ g chemistry between solid lubricants and wear surfaces. With many times the joint can be carried out and can be accelerated, or both, by the use of adhesives, binders, elevated temperatures and other materials and techniques in appropriate applications. The solid lubricants attached will generally exhibit lubrication characteristics different from the lubrication characteristics shown by the same solid lubricants before the binding reactions. However, once the bonded lubricants are firmly fixed to the wear surfaces, they will be more persistent and much less likely to be displaced under load bearing conditions as compared to unbound lubricants. The solid lubricants united in almost all cases will have a bonding interface with the lubricated wear surfaces, which will be shallow, and as a consequence, the joined lubricants will tend to disappear as the surfaces are subjected to an inevitable wear action, if the solid lubricants are not replenished continuously in some other way. Regardless of the mode of lubrication, it is easy to recognize that even under the best conditions it is likely that some wear will occur with respect to adjacent wear surfaces, within the current state of the mechanisms design and lubrication techniques. It is recognized that many of the lubricant systems contain solid lubricants and can be very effective, if the lubricant systems are maintained in good working condition, and the lubricants are caused to replenish themselves immediately, and when they are removed from the surfaces of the lubricants. Wear lubricated. However, it is known to those skilled in the art that the solid lubricants contained in the lubricant systems of the state of the art which are subjected to bonding with the wear surfaces are very slow to carry out the bonding reactions. This is a major problem, which in fact serves to diminish or even prevent the use of these lubricating systems otherwise meritorious in specific applications. There is extensive literature available to confirm the function and merits of various solid lubricants containing lubrication systems and including many of the United States Patents referred to herein. In most of the cases described in the literature, the lubrication qualities and the wear resistance values measured and presented are derived with respect to the newly formed solid lubricating films. Besides, the General familiarity with the principles of chemistry and physics involved tend to validate the observed and reported results. However, in the actual operation of the lubricated mechanisms with the lubrication systems containing solid lubricants, it is inevitable that eventually the unbound and bonded solid lubricants will disappear due to extrusion, erosion, corrosion, abrasion, scraping, abrading, crushing , volatilization and normal wear and tear unless they are replenished in another way continuously. To the extent that more solid lubricants are available in lubricating systems, it is reasonable to expect that solid lubricants will re-establish themselves upon re-bonding or bonding to exposed wear surfaces. However, it is known that the bonding or bonding reaction is generally carried out relatively slowly in the current state of the art of lubricating systems. In fact, it is not unreasonable to expect that the wear surfaces subjected to being lubricated with solid lubricants lack such lubricants a great part of the time, perhaps more frequently than they are not. However, the presence of solid lubricants in lubricating systems of the prior art generally produces a lower speed of wear compared * with lubricating systems where lubricants are not present. One of the most popular solid lubricant additives is polytetrafluoroethylene ("PTFE") which is the subject of U.S. Patent No. 2,230,654. From the time that U.S. Patent No. 2,230,654, PTFE has been recognized as a solid, lubricable lubricant having superior lubricating properties, due primarily to its exceptionally low coefficients of friction and it is evident that it is capable of withstanding the adhesion of other materials. In addition, PTFE is highly resistant to most forms of chemical attack. Based on the research work described by L.L. Cao, et al. in the reference mentioned above, it has been determined that the PTFE treated metal wear surfaces result in a bonded lubrication film that can be qualitatively divided into four layers, which include the outermost layer of PTFE. In fact, an oil containing PTFE is subjected to boundary lubrication conditions and when the test is completed, the contact surfaces of the metal test samples are analyzed using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and a Scanning Calibration Microscope. The chemical state of the fl ow in the reaction film of bound limit is shown to have four different chemical structures. The chemical structures and related binding energies are shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 It has been clearly established that a multi-layer boundary lubricating reaction film, with the structural layers mentioned above, is formed on the metal surface. The outermost layer or the first layer is constituted by a PTFE film. The second layer is made up of a mixed reaction film, which contains a mixture of the chemical structures that are shown as paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 above. Third The layer shows a chemical structure in which there is a pause of fluorine with respect to the second layer. The deepest layer consists mainly of ferrous and ferric fluoride, together with some PTFE microparticles. Is evident from the "" amounts of bonding energy that each of the bonded layers is firmly bonded, wherein the outermost layer shows the greatest bonding energy. The innermost layer, or the fourth layer has clearly reacted and become part of the metallic matrix, although binding energy is determined to be slightly less than that of the other three layers. The researchers, L.L. Cao, et al., Conclude that "under limit lubrication, PTFE microparticles not only reduce friction mechanically, but also form part of the chemical reaction and form a multi-layer structure of fluorine compounds which play a role important in the elimination of friction and wear. " Those experts in lubrication design and mechanisms techniques, and other students of engine wear behavior have long recognized that engines are likely to look like a much higher rate of wear during startup, as opposed to the wear rate which occurs during operation after starting, with the current state of conventional motor lubricants. The relatively high rate of wear during start-up is attributable to a high disorderly incidence of metal-to-metal contact between & iUBBmSm33is? adjacent wear surfaces of the engine. The high disorderly contact incidence is caused by inadequate lubrication sometimes simply due to the gravity draining of the lubricating oil away from the wear surfaces and inside the engine oil sign before starting. Those parts of the engine that have wear surfaces subject to immersion in the lubricating oil are lubricated by a hydrodynamic process which allows the adjacent wear surfaces to "hydroplane" on an oil film, and therefore, theoretically it is possible to almost completely avoid contact between adjacent wear surfaces. Such are the conditions under which the main crankshaft bearings, connecting rod bearings and other wear surfaces are immersed in engine oil and allowed to work. However, other wear surfaces in the engine, which are not immersed in the lubricating oil, are subjected to limit lubrication or some combination of limit and hydrodynamic lubrication. In the case of limit lubrication, such as that experienced by the engine piston rings, wear surfaces are exposed to metal-to-metal direct contact and therefore the rate of wear will depend on the presence or absence of the proper lubricant. in the points t *? ^ ^? i ^^ «^? & ¿^ - ^^^ # of potential contact. The realization of the manner in which the lubricants operate on a typical engine or other mechanisms having adjacent wear surfaces serves to emphasize the need for improved lubrication systems to improve the limit lubrication and consequently to reduce drag and mitigate wear.

The current state of the lubricating system of the technique using PTFE depends on the adhesion of PTFE to the lubricated wear surfaces, followed later by a metal-to-metal contact of the asperities to generate excessively high localized temperatures. These excessively high localized temperatures are considered to be necessary to promote a chemical bonding reaction between the PTFE and the metal wear surfaces that are lubricated. The obvious drawback of this process is that the metal-to-metal contact needed to generate the necessary high localized temperatures seems necessary to promote the bonding reaction, it is the same metal-to-metal contact which serves to physically diminish and remove any lubricating film preexisting. That is, metallic metal-metal collisions of adjacent surfaces in metal wear with erosion, corrosion, abrasion, scraping, abrasion, crushing, abnormal wear, and effects of lubricant volatilization with riders are probably almost as efficient in removing the lubricant film as they are in forming the same lubricating film. This is the reason why this endless logic and because the test data presented in the mentioned references, it is reasonable to conclude that the wearing surfaces lubricated with the lubricating systems of the state of the The current technique, such as those discussed here, is exposed without benefits of the lubricating film, perhaps as often as they protect the film. Based on the references mentioned here and others, there is little or no doubt that many of the Currently described lubricant systems, where solid lubricants are contained in liquid or semi-solid lubricant base materials, have proven to be more effective lubricant systems than lubricant base materials without solid lubricant additives. In In many cases it has been described that the limit lubrication wear rates measured in the order of half are reduced, with the application of a typical contemporary lubrication system mentioned herein, which system contains PTFE and other additives. 25 DESCRIPTION SHORT OF THE INVENTION Based on the conclusions mentioned above regarding the lubricating systems of the current state of the art, it is not difficult to realize that there is a gap to be filled to improve the operation of the lubricating systems. The novel solution for obtaining such improved performance, which is presented here for the first time, is by the aggregation of one or more catalysts appropriately designed to the lubricating systems. The inclusion of one or more effective catalysts in the lubricating systems will serve to increase the performance of the bonded lubricating film and to accelerate the bonding reactions between the wear surfaces and the solid lubricating additives without the prerequisite of a high localized temperature. Therefore, the solid lubricant for the wear surface bonding reactions can be performed under ambient conditions so that the lubricant film is formed quickly to "heal" newly exposed wear surface areas. In addition, the resulting lubricant film will thicken at the point where metal-to-metal contact no longer occurs. It is reasonable to expect that properly designed catalyzed lubricant additives or lubricating systems JSi »*, _ ..» - • USA * - * s * s catalyzed, or both, will produce a lubricating film bonded at the time when the lubricated mechanism requires a single cycle. With the addition of a properly designed catalyst or catalysts for lubricating systems containing PTFE and other effective lubricating additives, it is reasonable to expect that lubricated wear surfaces will approach wear protection at all times, with a Wear reduction rate that approaches 100%. In such a case, the useful life of the mechanisms can be greatly extended, when lubricated with the catalyzed lubricant additives and with the catalyzed lubricant systems, such as those described in this patent application. The hopes of the present invention represent the main advantages over the current state of the art. There is considerable literature available in commercial publications, textbooks and in the US Patent Archives which show that the lubricant adhesion, in some cases the lubricant union reactions can be accelerated by the use of certain pretreatments such as fluoridation, and by various methods of heat treatment and other methods. However, these methods in themselves do not re-establish a film lubricant in most of the mechanisms after the manufacturing process has been completed, except in those rare cases where the mechanisms can conveniently be subjected to such treatment over and over again. The novel solution to this problem, as stated above, is to provide appropriate additives for the lubricating systems which operate continuously within the systems and which act to rapidly initiate and complete the lubricant binding reaction in all of the wearing surfaces that do not completely bind otherwise. The appropriate additives are catalysts that will accelerate the binding reactions, increase the reaction yields and will be available in the lubrication systems at all times. The word "catalyst" was coined by Berzelius in 1835, time in which he provided the following definition for a catalyst: "Catalysts are substances which by their very presence induce chemical reactions that otherwise can not be carried out." While Ostwald subsequently offered what became the accepted definition today for catalyst. "Catalysts are substances that change the speed of a chemical reaction without themselves appearing in the final products." It is notable that in many applications an amount of a trace of enough catalysts to produce large changes without itself having changed in the final analysis. For example, in U.S. Patent No. 2,230,654 for the invention of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), described in Example II of the patent states that: "(7.8 parts) of tetrafluoroethylene are placed in a vessel under 20 ° pressure. C. The polymer yield after 21 days is 0.05 parts or 0.64%. " Then, the patent describes in example 8 the results where a catalyst is introduced in the form of silver nitrate together with methyl alcohol, as follows: "(4.5 parts) of tetrafluoroethylene are introduced into a vessel with 0.1 part of silver nitrate and 2.2 parts of methyl alcohol under pressures at 25 ° C. The polymerization immediately convinces with the formation of a jelly-like mass.In three days, this has solidified to a brown powder which has properties similar to those of the white polymer. The yield is 1.3 parts or 29%. " The inclusion of methyl alcohol and the temperature increase at 5 ° C in Example VIII compared to Example II may have a slight influence on the improved results; however, the main factor that causes the reaction rate to accelerate and the performance increase from 0.64% to 29% in only three days instead of 21 days, it is clearly the introduction of the catalyst into the reaction environment. Currently there are large amounts of industrial processes in which the use of the catalyst accelerates reaction rates and increases yields and has shown that it makes specific processes possible, or makes them practical and economically feasible. There are many such examples in the field of oil refinery, where the use of catalysts has been used successfully either to provoke the desired reaction to reach completion at a specific time, place and environment, or simply to accelerate the speeds and performances of such reactions. Some of the important catalytic processes in this category are: cracking, conversion, Nafteño dehydrogenation, dehydrocyclization of naphthene and paraffin, paraffin isomerization, paraffin hydrocracking, hydrogenation of olefin, hydrodesulfurization and polymerization. The function of a catalyst has been related to a coin inserted into a slotted machine that provides useful products and that also returns the coin. In a catalyzed reaction the catalyst enters a stage and abandons it in another stage. The catalyst can be any composition and can be in any phase f > r 28 (for example, solid, liquid or gaseous). The catalysts are in the same phase that the reactants call them "homogeneous", and the catalysts that are in a different phase from the reactants are referred to as "heterogeneous". Many reactions that proceed slowly under some specific conditions of temperature, pressure, concentration and environment can be significantly accelerated by the addition of a small amount of catalyst, as illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 2,230,654. These catalytic substances act by increasing reaction rates and reaction yields, sometimes by providing a new reaction mechanism at lower activation energy levels, and sometimes by providing a surface on which the reactants are adsorbed, and in doing so in this way, they serve to facilitate the reaction. Those skilled in the art of catalysts are well acquainted with the fact that properly designed catalysts help the environment of the reagents can greatly improve the functionality of specific reactions. However, the state of the art of the catalysts is such that there are many unanswered questions about the role of the catalysts and these unanswered questions provide many interesting areas of research.

The only generalizations about the catalytic behavior are that there is a definite increase in the reaction rate and that the catalysts can be recovered theoretically, completely when the reaction has ended. The present invention consists of novel concepts, complete with a group of formulations for catalyzed lubricant additives and for catalysed lubricating systems. The catalyzed lubricant additives of this invention are constituted by subsections 1 and 2 below, or one or more number of remaining entries, presented as follows: Catalyzed Lubricant Additives. 1. Base lubricant, 2. One or more catalysts, 3. One or more catalysts, or any combination of catalysts, wherein the catalyst consists of one or more transition elements and one or more compounds in which one or more elements are included of Transition. 4. Any amount of additives, 5. Any quantity of additives, where one or more of the additives are solid lubricants. - 3T "- 6. Any amount * of additives in which one or more of the additives are selected from the group consisting of PTFE, or other polymers, ethers, fatty acid compounds, molybdenum compounds, metal soaps, graphites, carbon halogens, barium fluoride, calcium fluoride and lithium fluoride 7. One or more halogen elements or any combination of halogen elements or one or more compounds in which halogen elements are included, and 8. One or more more catalysts, wherein such catalysts are homogeneous, heterogeneous or any combination of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.

Catalyzed Lubricant Systems The catalysed lubricant systems of this invention are comprised of catalysed lubricant additives of this invention included in any lubricant base. An object of this invention is to establish and restore a protective lubricant film on lubricated wear surfaces as quickly as possible, thereby preventing or minimizing the opportunity for adjacent wear surfaces to come into contact with each other. ^^ ft ^^^^^ Kyá ^^ = a ^^ «aa« «^«. < »S» Miaah ?? ate ..

An object of this invention is to provide one or more novel additives, specifically including catalysts for use as mixtures with base lubricants, in particular base lubricants consisting of liquid or semi-solid base materials, with solid lubricant materials included therein, wherein the additives are designed to accelerate the rate of the binding reaction and increase the performance of the bonding reaction between the catalyzed lubricants and the wearing surfaces that are lubricated with the lubricating systems described above. An objective of this invention is to define the composition of a group of catalysts for use as lubricant additives, as mentioned above, as one or more transition elements, or one or more compounds in which the transition elements are included, or any combination of transition element and transition element compounds, wherein the transition elements are identify as those elements that have atomic numbers from 21 to 31, from 39 to 49, and from 71 to 81, inclusive. An objective of this invention is to define the ingredients for various catalytic lubricant additives and various catalytic lubrication systems in which the ingredients include conventional mineral oil or fat, or synthetic oil or fats, or any base lubricant, if such a lubricant has not been described at present, and with the catalytic additives mentioned above. An object of this invention is to include additional lubricant system additives, additives which are designed to improve and increase the catalyzed lubrication system to which they are mixed. An object of this invention is to include one or more halogen elements or compounds in which halogen elements are included to function as starters and to contribute to the mass effect of the catalyzed lubricating bond reactions without resulting in film formation lubricant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As discussed previously, one of the most effective solid lubricant additives for general lubrication purposes is PTFE. For this reason, one of the preferred embodiments of this invention is a catalyzed lubricant additive which contains PTFE and has the following formulation.

TABLE 2. Preferred Lubricant Base Modality, TABLE 3. Preferred Modality of the Catalytic Lubricant Additive.

* "Colloidal particles" are defined as particles having diameters ranging from 1 micrometer to 1 nanometer. ** A "Stable Colloid System" is defined as a system consisting of particles, dispersed in some medium, where the particles remain suspended because the force of gravity is diverted by the sinetic energy or the "Broumian movement" inherent in the system. *** "ppm" abbreviation for parts per million, by weight. More specifically, in this case, the catalyst parts per million parts of other materials in the mixture, by weight. The concentrations of platinum and palladium specified here are so small that they do not alter the "total" value within the number of significant figures shown.

TABLE 4. Preferred Modality of Catalytic Lubricant System Previously, the findings of the L.L. Cao, et al., Regarding the analysis of a Nida lubrication film were presented. In that case it was found that the bonded lubrication film has been developed after the application of a lubricating system, which includes PTFE together with other additives, to the wear surfaces of an engine. The bonded lubricant film is shown to contain four differentiable layers. It is postulated that in the presence of the appropriate catalyst of this invention, the first reaction will occur in the development of the lubricating film is the cutting of some of the fluor-carbon bonds with respect to the PTFE. Subsequently, it is postulated that the fluorine radicals will be bound to the lubricated wear surface, which in the case analyzed by L.L. Cao et al., The lubricated wear surfaces were iron (Fe). This step results in temporary formation of ferric fluoride compounds represented by formulas Fe ,, '1 or FeF6"3. These compounds are highly reactive and thus unstable. It is further postulated that these compounds ferric fluoride are then joined with the PTFE degraded products represented earlier as the "chemical structure" for the "third layer", where the critical bond between the wear surface of iron and the degraded PTFE or the solid lubricating film of polymonofluoroethylene is established.

The progress of the in situ chemical reactions postulated to develop the same four layers of lubricating film as those identified as L.L. Cao et al., As mentioned above, are shown as follows, but now with respect to the preferred embodiment of this invention which includes the presence of platinum and palladium, heterogeneous catalysts in the reaction environment: Outer layer 1.1 Absorption of Polytetrafluoroethylene: (-CF2-CF2-) Second layer . 2.1 Dehydrogenation of base oil: C10H22 - platinum and palladium- C10H22 + 2H n-decane n-decene hydrogen catalyst 2. 2 Cutting of fluor-carbon bonds in the first stage of PTFE hydrogenation: (-CF2-CF2 -) + 2H «-platinum and palladium- (-CFH-CFH-) + 2F PTFE hydrogen catalyst fluorinated polyurethane fluoride Third layer. 3.1 Dehydrogenation of the base oil ^ 10 ^ 2 -platinum and palladium- * C10H22 + 2H n-decan n-decene hydrogen catalyst 3. 2 Aggregate cutting of fluor-carbon bonds and second stage of PTFE hydrogenation: (-CFH-CFH-H -platinum and palladium- (-CFH-CH2-) + polydifluoroethylene hydrogen catalyst fluorine fluoro-fluoroethylene 4. Metallic surface 4.1 Reaction of binding of polymofluoroethylene with iron and fluorine: 2Fe + 4F (-CFH-CH--) -platinum and palladium-FeF2 (CFH-CH2-) FeF2 • fluorine iron polymonofluoroethylene catalyst fluoride ferric-polyimonofluoroethylene bound 4. 2 Fluoride reaction with ferrous ion: Fe + 2F-platinum and palladium-FeF2 iron fluorine catalyst ferrous fluoride 4. 3 Fraction of fluorine with ferrous fluoride: FeF, -platinum and palladium- FeF, ferrous fluoride, fluorine, ferric fluoride catalyst * In reaction 4.1 of the above "metal surface", the reaction products may be as shown, or may be one or a combination of reaction products which are selected from the group consisting of the following: 4. 1.1 Fe (-CF2-CF2-) 2, 4.1.8 Fe (-CF2-CF2-) 3, 4.1.2 Fe (-CF2-CFH-) 2, 4.1.9 Fe (-CF2-CFH-) 3, 4.1.3 Fe (-CFH-CFH-) 2, 4.1.10 Fe (-CFH-CFH-) 3, 4.1.4 Fe (= CF-CFH-), 4.1.11 Fe (= CF-CFH-) 3 , 4.1.5 Fe (= CF-CF =), 4.1.12 Fe (= CF-CF =) 3, and 4.1.6 FeF (-CF2-CF2-), 4.1.13 FeF2 (-CF2-CF2-) . 4.1.7 FeF (-CFH-CH2-), The same type of reaction is postulated where the lubricated wear surface is any of the materials from which the lubricated wear surfaces are commonly constructed. In view of the fact that fluorine is the most negative negative element and the most reactive non-metal known, it is postulated that any material from which a lubricated wear surface can be constructed will be converted. In addition, it is anticipated that the progress of in situ chemical reactions postulated for the case in which the lubricated wear surface is constructed of iron, will be the same except that the symbol for the alternative lubricated wear surface material will replace the symbol with iron (Fe), and the combination ratios will be adjusted appropriately. The presence of platinum and palladium, functioning as catalysts in each reaction of the preferred embodiment of the invention mentioned above, serves to accelerate the reaction, to cause the reactions to show a higher yield and to allow the reactions to progress to completion more quickly under environmental conditions. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment, it is clear that many alternatives, modifications, variations and permutations will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art, in light of the above descriptions and discussions. Other modalities will become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts from a consideration of the concept, scope, spirit, specifications or practices of the invention. It is intended that the alternatives, modifications, variations and permutations of this invention may be realized without departing from the concept, scope or spirit of the invention described herein. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the invention is not confined to the particular embodiments, formulations and reactions presented herein, but rather the invention encompasses all such alternatives, modifications, variations and permutations, and all other forms thereof that fall within the scope of the claims presented below. All of the foregoing references are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims (53)

RE faNDICATIONS

1. A lubricant additive composition characterized in that it comprises a base lubricant medium, mixed with at least one catalyst medium in an amount to act only as a catalyst, wherein the catalytic medium is at least one of the following: homogeneous, heterogeneous and homogeneous and heterogeneous, and where the additive composition can include other additive media.

2. A lubricant composition characterized in that it comprises any base lubricant medium, mixed with any amount including zero, of another additive medium, and mixed with at least one transition catalyst medium, the catalyst medium is only in an amount sufficient to accelerate the bonding speed with a wear surface, wherein the catalyst medium is at least one of the following: homogeneous, heterogeneous and both, homogeneous and heterogeneous.

3. A lubricant composition, comprising any base lubricant medium blended with at least one solid lubricant medium, and mixed with any amount, including zero of another additive medium, not including a solid lubricant medium and mixed with at least one transition element catalyst medium.

4. A lubricant composition characterized in that it comprises any base lubricating medium blended with at least one solid lubricating medium and mixed with any amount, including zero, of another additive medium, without including a solid lubricating medium, mixed with a halogen medium, and mixing with at least one catalyst medium.

5. A lubricant composition, characterized in that it comprises any base lubricant medium, mixed with at least one solid lubricant medium and mixed with any amount, including zero, of another additive medium without including the solid lubricant medium, mixed with a fluoride medium, and mixed with at least one catalyst medium.

6. An additive catalytic transition metal lubricant composition for improving the bonding of lubricants to surfaces, characterized in that it comprises: platinum in a weight percent equal to less than 1/100; palladium in uri ^ percent by weight equal to or less than 1/100; and wherein the remainder of the composition is a lubricant which may include additives.

7. A composition of a catalytic lubricant system, characterized in that it comprises: a transition metal catalyst composition comprising platinum in a weight percent equal to or less than 1/100, and palladium in weight percent equal to or less than 1/100; and a lubricant base.

8. A method for quickly establishing or restoring a protective lubricant film on wear surfaces, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: combining an additive composition of transition metal catalytic lubricant comprising platinum in a weight percent equal to or less than 1/100, palladium in percent equal to or less than 1/100, and with a base lubricant to form a mixture; and causing the mixture to come in contact with a wear surface.

9. The method in accordance with the claim 8, characterized in that platinum and palladium are in colloidal form.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that platinum and palladium are present in a weight ratio of about 3 to 98 relative to each other, respectively.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the platinum and palladium are in colloidal form and remain further suspended in the surrounding medium.

12. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that it also comprises a dispersant.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the dispersant is an amine polymer.

14. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that it also comprises colloidal particles of polytetrafluoroethylene.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the colloidal polytetrafluoroethylene particles remain suspended in the surrounding medium.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that it also comprises a hydrofluorocarbon oil.

17. The catalytic transition metal lubricant additive composition according to claim 6 or 7, wherein both the platinum and the palladium are in colloidal form and exist as a stable colloid in a surrounding medium; and wherein the additive composition of transition metal catalytic lubricant further comprises: a polymer-amine dispersant; colloidal particles of polytetrafluoroethylene; and hydrofluorocarbon oil.

18. The transition metal catalytic additive lubricant composition according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the composition is present in one percent by weight of i * aa. &J! p-S8 about 5% and between about 25%.

19. The composition of the catalytic lubricant system, according to claim 7, characterized in that the catalytic lubricant composition comprises between about 5% and about 25% of the composition of the catalytic lubricant system by weight.

20. The composition of the catalytic lubricant system according to claim 7, characterized in that the composition of the transition metal catalyst further comprises: a polymer-amine dispersant comprising about 6% of the lubricant system; colloidal polytetrafluoroethylene particles comprising about 4% by weight of the lubricant system; hydrofluorocarbon oil comprising about 1% by weight of the lubricant system; and platinum and palladium in colloidal form comprising approximately 100 parts per million of the lubricant system.

21. The composition of the catalytic lubrication system according to claim 7, characterized in that the lubricant is composed of: a base oil, a dispersant, a detergent-alkaline agent, a detergent-antioxidant and a primary detergent, a rust inhibitor, an antioxidant-antiwear compound and a viscosity modifier.

22. The composition of the catalytic lubricant system according to claim 21, characterized in that the phase oil is selected from the group comprising: conventional mineral oil, synthetic oil, conventional mineral fat and synthetic fat.

23. The composition of the catalytic lubrication system according to claim 7, characterized in that the catalytic lubrication system consists of: a base oil; a polymer-amine dispersant; an alkaline detergent agent of high phenate base; a low phenate base detergent antioxidant; a primary detergent with a low sulfonate base; a high-base rust inhibitor sulfonate; a zinc dialkyldithiophosphate antiwear compound; and a viscosity modifier of ethylene-propylene copolymer.

24. The composition of the catalytic lubrication system according to claim 7, characterized in that the lubricant: base has a weight percentage of about 78.5% of the total lubricant system mixture; the catalytic lubricant system further includes: a polymer dispersant -amine having a weight percent of about 7%; an alkaline detergent agent of a high phenate base having a weight percent of about 0.5%; a low base phenate detergent antioxidant having a weight percent of about 1.5%; a primary detergent of low sulfonate base having a weight percent of about 1.5%; a rust inhibitor of high sulfonate base having a weight percent of about 0.5%; an antioxidant anti-wear compound of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate having a weight percent of about 1.5%; and a viscosity modifier of ethylene-propylene copolymer having a weight percent of about 10%.

25. The catalytic transition metal lubricant additive composition according to claim 6, characterized in that the transition metal catalytic additive lubricant composition further comprises: a polymer-amine dispersant; colloidal particles of polytetrafluoroethylene; hydrofluorocarbon oil; and the lubricant base further comprises: a base oil; a dispersant; a detergent-alkaline agent; a detergent-antioxidant; a primary detergent; a rust inhibitor; an antioxidant-anti-wear compound; and a viscosity modifier.

26. The method to promote the chemical bond between a lubricant and the surface to be lubricated, the The method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: selecting a base lubricant; mixing the base lubricant with at least one catalyst in an amount sufficient only to act as a catalyst to accelerate the chemical bonding; and bring the mixture and put it in contact with the surface to be lubricated.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that the transition element is less than 1/100 of the lubricant.

28. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that the lubricants are selected from the group consisting of: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Teflon® (PTFE), perfluoropolyether oxide, polymers of ethylene, polymers of propylene, polymer of f luorof enylene, perf luoropolieter, monoesters of polyol of fatty acids, amides, of fatty acids, fats and sulfur esters, molybdenum and sulfur compounds, metal soaps of fatty acids, graphite, carbon fluoride, fluoride and carbon chloride, Barium fluoride, calcium fluoride and lithium fluoride.

29. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that the catalyst is one or more of the elements that are selected from the group consisting of: scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium , yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, indium, lutetium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold, mercury and thallium.

30. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that the transition element catalyst is composed of one or more compounds, the compounds in turn are constituted by an element or elements that are selected from the group of compounds consisting of: scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, indium, lutetium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold, mercury and thallium.

31. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that the lubricant base is present in a concentration of about 75% to about 95% by weight.

32. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that it also includes the step of: adding colloidal particles to the mixture.

33. The method according to claim 32, characterized in that the colloidal particles have an average diameter of less than 1 micrometer.

34. A method for providing lubrication between two surfaces, the method is characterized in that it includes the steps of: placing a lubricant base on at least one of the surfaces, and exposing the lubricant base to a catalyst in an amount sufficient only for catalytic purposes , to accelerate a chemical bond between the base of the lubricant and at least one of the surfaces.

35. The method according to claim 34, characterized in that the catalyst is a transition element.

36. The method according to claim 34, characterized in that the amount of catalyst is less than 1/100 of the weight of the lubricant base.

37. The method according to claim 34, characterized in that the amount of catalyst is pre-mixed in the lubricant base.

38. A lubricant system, comprising: a lubricant base, and a catalytic lubricant additive in a quantity necessary only to promote the attachment of the lubricant system to the surface to be lubricated.

39. The lubricant system according to claim 38, characterized in that the catalytic lubricant additive includes a transition element.

40. The lubricant system according to claim 39, characterized in that the transition element is at least one of platinum and palladium in an amount less than 1/100 by weight.

41. The lubricant system in accordance with Claim 39, characterized in that the base is 80% by weight and the additive is 20% by weight.

42. A method for increasing the rate of bonding performance of a material with respect to a surface to which the material is brought into contact, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: putting the material in contact with a catalytic element to form a combination of the material with at least part of the catalytic element; and place the combined element in contact with the surface.

43. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that the contact is substantially momentary.

44. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that the contact is relatively permanent.

45. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that the combination contains less than 1/100% by weight of the catalytic element.

46. The method according to claim 42, characterized in that the catalytic element is a transition element.

47. The lubricant additive composition according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one catalyst means provides a means of lubricant bonding in situ, the lubricating bonding medium which results in accelerated lubricant bonding reactions and an increase in the Lubricant binding performance when compared to the base lubricant medium alone, wherein the lubricant union refers to the joint between the mixture and the surface to be lubricated, wherein the joining means includes at least one of the binding types selected from the group consisting of adsorption, absorption, ionic binding, covalent binding, coordinated binding and covalent bonding.

48. The lubricant additive composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the base lubricating medium to which the lubricant additive composition is mixed includes any amount of another additive medium wherein at least one of the additional additive means is a lubricating medium. solid that is selected from the group consisting of - sp - perlitetrafluoroethylene, molybdenum and sulfur compounds, perfluoropolyether oxide, fatty acid metal soaps, ethylene polymers, graphite, propylene polymers, carbon fluoride, fluorophenylene, fluoride and carbon chloride polymers, barium perfluoropolyether fluoride, monoesters of polyol of fatty acids, calcium fluoride, amides, fatty acids, lithium fluoride and fats and sulfur esters.

49. The lubricant additive composition according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one catalyst medium includes at least two catalytic ingredients, wherein at least one of the ingredients is homogeneous and wherein at least one of the ingredients catalytic is heterogeneous, where homogeneous is defined as being constituted in the same phase as the base lubricant medium, and heterogeneous is defined as consisting of a different phase than the base lubricant medium to which the additive lubricant composition is mixed, where it refers to the state of the lubricant additive composition as in the solid, liquid and gaseous states.

50. The lubricant additive composition, according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one catalyst medium comprises: a polymer-amine dispersant comprising about 6% by weight of the lubricant system; colloidal particles of polytetrafluoroethylene which constitute approximately 4% by weight of the lubricant system; hydrofluorocarbon oil constituting approximately 1% by weight of the lubricant system; and platinum and palladium in colloidal form comprising approximately 100 parts per million of the lubricant system.

51. The lubricant additive composition according to claim 1, wherein the base lubricant is a base oil; and wherein the other additive means comprises: a polymer-amine dispersant; an alkaline detergent agent with high phenate base; a detergent antioxidant with low phenate base; a primary detergent with low sulfonate base; a rust inhibitor with high sulfonate base; an antioxidant anti-wear compound of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate; and a viscosity modifier of ethylene-propylene copolymer. 52 The additive composition lubri cant in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that approximately 78. 5% of any mixture of the base lubricant medium and the other additive medium is a base oil; and wherein about 21.5% of any mixture of the base lubricating medium and the other additive medium is the other additive medium and wherein the other additive means comprises: a polymer-amine dispersant having a weight percent of about %; an alkaline detergent agent with high phenate base having a weight percent of about 0.5%; a detergent antioxidant with low phenate base having a weight percent of about 1.5%; a primary detergent with low sulfonate base having a weight percent of about 1.5%; a rust inhibitor with high base sulfonate having a weight percent of about 0.5%; an antioxidant anti-wear compound of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate having a weight percent of about 1.5%; and a viscosity modifier of ethylene-propylene copolymer having a weight percent of about 10%. 53. The lubricant additive composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the lubricant means is a base oil; wherein at least one catalyst means comprises: a polymer-amine dispersant; colloidal particles of polytetrafluoroethylene; and hydrofluorocarbon oil; and wherein the other additive means comprises: a dispersant; a detergent-alkaline agent; a detergent-antioxidant; a primary detergent; a rust inhibitor; an antioxidant-anti-wear compound; and a viscosity modifier. • faith »=. * !! *., **: j