Excellent Lubricating Properties of Ionic Liquid – Myth or Truth

Abstract

Due to numerous good physical-chemical properties, Ionic Liquids should be ideal candidates for a new lubricant, suitable for use under harsh conditions, where conventional oils and greases failError! Reference source not found.. This is especially true for hydraulic fluid and gearbox oil. In the paper, the lubricating properties of selected Ionic Liquids have been tested and confirmed by using some of the classical tribological tests: e.g. the four-ball welding point test and wear test. Another approach to check the quality of lubrication is to do it with the Stribeck's curve, representing the friction coefficient, depending on the Stribeck's parameters, including viscosity, relative surface velocity, and loading. In most cases, the results achieved with Ionic Liquids have been considerably better than those achieved with classical mineralbased hydraulic oil.