Ionic Liquids Incorporating Nanomaterials as Lubricants for Harsh Environments

Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid at ambient temperatures, and they produce virtually no hazardous vapors. As lubricating liquids, ionic liquid lubricants are of interest for reducing wear in circumstances where conventional lubricants are impractical such as in aerospace applications and high temperature vacuum bearings. The synthetic flexibility of ionic liquids allows control of the liquidous temperature range, good polymer compatibility, and high thermal stability. In this paper, a variety of ionic liquids were synthesized to build a library for testing. The liquids were thermally characterized by DSC and TGA, and mechanically characterized by pin-on-disk and 4-ball testing. Several chiral ionic liquids were synthesized as candidates for MEMS testing. The chiral nature of the liquids should help prevent crystallization in MEMs applications. Additionally, nanomaterials incorporated into the lubricants imparted lower friction coefficients and enhanced thermal stability.Copyright © 2005 by ASME