Keywords

Ionic Liquids, Natural Oils, Environmentally Friendly Lubricants, Tribology, Friction, Lubrication

The Effect of Phosphonium- and Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids as Additives in Natural Oil - An Investigation of Tribological Performance

Natural oils have been known to be viable lubricants since the emergence of lubrication and have regained their prominence due to new eco-friendly initiatives. Recently, environmentally benign ionic liquids (IL) have been proposed as a new class of green lubricants. In this study, the effects of phosphonium- and imidazolium-based ILs as additives in natural oils on tribological performance are investigated using a pin-on-disk apparatus. The results indicate that the effects of both ILs as additives in natural oils enhance the tribological properties of the lubricant mixtures. As the amount of the IL additive increase within the natural oil, the tribological properties continue to improve. Among the two types of ionic liquid mixtures investigated, the phosphonium-based ionic liquids had the superior performance.

Authors and Company/Institution

Carlton J Reeves and Tien-Chien Jen, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Sarah L. Garvey and Mark L. Dietz, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Pradeep L. Menezes and Michael R. Lovell, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI