Finite size effects of ionic species sensitively determine load bearing capacities of lubricated systems under combined influence of electrokinetics and surface compliance

Abstract

The behaviour and health of lubricated systems in various natural and artificial settings are often characterized by their load bearing capacity. This capacity stemming from the lift force associated with confined fluid flow can be significantly altered due to surface compliance and electrokinetic effects. Here, we highlight the influence of finite size of the ionic species participating in electrokinetic transport with substrate compliance in determining the electromechanical characteristics of lubricated systems. With these new considerations, anomalous trends previously observed for the load bearing capacity corresponding to high values of zeta potential are corrected. Simultaneously, trends associated with the finite ionic size are also found to be reversed, but fall in line with the consistent theory. Importantly, despite an intricate interplay among the various influences – electrokinetic, hydrodynamic, geometric, and elastic – previously established trends due to geometric (non-parallel slider geometry) and elastic effects are found to persist. Specifically, in the presence of electrokinetic effects, an increase in the obliqueness of the slider geometry results in lower values of load bearing capacity while an increase in the stiffness leads to higher values. These results point to a certain robustness in the overall theory and it is hoped that they can contribute to better practical designs of slider bearings and an improved understanding of lubricated sliding surfaces in biological settings.