Dramatically Enhanced Film-Formation Performance Using O/W Emulsion Under Starving Feeding Mode

Envisioned with great potential for growth, oil-in- water (O/W) emulsions occupy important positions in the field of lubrication, which are widely used in metal working such as metal rolling and cutting, and so on. As multiple phase liquids, the emulsions possess various features distinct from traditional single-phase liquids, especially in film-forming properties. Several new phenomena were found and discussed in this article, by carrying out experiments under different feeding modes. In the O/W emulsion systems, we have observed significantly high film thickness under starvation feeding modes, such as half-immersed and brief-time injection lubrication, rather than sufficient feeding modes. This finding can be expected to shed a new light on the lubricating mechanism of multiple phase lubricants, and has implications for optimizing lubrication in both biological and industrial systems.