Comparison of the oxidation resistance of synthetic ester oils DOA and TDTM: Experimental evaluation and theoretical calculation

Abstract The oxidation behavior of the synthetic ester oils di‐isooctyl adipate (DOA) and tri‐isodecyl trimellitate (TDTM) was investigated by analysing the oxidation induction time and oxidation onset temperature via pressure differential scanning calorimetry tests, and the variation in viscosity after oven accelerated oxidation tests. Moreover, theoretical calculations of the fractional free volumes and oxygen diffusion coefficients of DOA and TDTM were performed, and atomistic‐scale insights into the oxidative mechanisms of both oils were proposed based on reactive molecular dynamic (RMD) simulations. Better oxidation resistance for TDTM was confirmed with experimental observations. RMD results indicated that the C―O bonds of the alcohol chain and ester group of DOA were susceptible to oxidation. However, only the dissociation of the C―O bond of the alcohol chain initiated the oxidation of TDTM. Additionally, more degradation fragments for DOA were identified, along with the formation of a polymerized product, while no large molecules formed for TDTM.