Traction and nonequilibrium phase behavior of confined sheared liquids at high pressure

Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of confined model liquids under pressure and sheared by the relative sliding of the boundary walls have been carried out. The relationship between the time-dependent traction coefficient, mu(t), and the state of internal structure of the film is followed from commencement of shear for various control parameters, such as applied load, global shear rate, and solid-liquid atom interaction parameters. Phase diagrams, velocity and temperature profiles, and traction coefficient diagrams are analyzed for pure Lennard-Jones (LJ) liquids and a binary LJ mixture. A single component LJ liquid is found to form semicrystalline arrangements with high-traction coefficients, and stick-slip behavior is observed for high pressures and low-shear velocities, which is shown to involve periodic deformation and stress release of the wall atoms and slip in the solid-liquid boundary region. A binary mixture, which discourages crystallization, gives a more classical tribological response with the larger atoms preferentially adsorbing commensurate with the wall. The results obtained are analyzed in the context of tribology: the binary mixture behaves like a typical lubricant, whereas the monatomic system behaves like a traction fluid. It is discussed how this type of simulation can give insights on the tribological behavior of realistic systems.