Patent ID: 8071164

Claim:
A method for providing tribological lubrication to sliding contact surfaces in a closed environment, comprising: providing a closed environment containing at least a first surface with a contacting length less than one centimeter and a second surface with a contacting length less than one centimeter, at least one of said surfaces in motion relative to the other to provide contact between the surfaces, said closed environment containing a source of at least one alcohol compound, such source capable of delivery of the at least one alcohol compound in a vapor phase at a critical alcohol concentration, C a , where C a has a value sufficiently high to provide at least one monolayer of alcohol coverage on at least one of the surfaces, said vapor phase having a maximum water vapor concentration such that there are at least two molecules of the at least one alcohol compound for every molecule of water in the vapor phase, and wherein said source of the at least one alcohol is a solid-phase polymer wherein said delivery of said at least one alcohol occurs by heating said solid-phase polymer to induce vapor-phase decomposition products.