Molecular dynamic simulation of lubricant spreading: effect from the substrate and endbead

Molecular dynamic simulations based on a coarse-grained, bead-spring model are adopted to investigate the spreading of both nonfunctional and functional perfluoropolyether (PFPE) on solid substrates. For nonfunctional PFPE, the spreading generally exhibits a smooth profile with a precursor film. The spreading profiles on different substrates are compared, which indicate that the bead-substrate interaction has a significant effect on the spreading behaviour, especially on the formation of the precursor film. For functional PFPE, the spreading generally exhibits a complicated terraced profile. The spreading profiles with different endbeads are compared, which indicate that the endbead-substrate interaction and the endbead--endbead interaction, especially the latter, have a significant effect on the spreading behaviour.