Abstract

Friction losses and wear of sliding components account for nearly one quarter of global energy consumption. Developing new lubricants to reduce these losses is essential for a more cost-effective and sustainable future. The automotive industry offers the greatest economic potential for new tribological discoveries, as it affects billions of people around the world. A significant portion of the friction losses in automobiles are due to the reciprocating motion in the engine, which leads to metal-on-metal contact. Ionic liquids have emerged as novel lubricants and additives due to their ability to form protective surface layers on metals, reducing friction and wear. Ionic Liquids are easy to synthesize, can be produced using sustainable methods, and offer a high degree of structural tunability. This work investigates three ionic liquids with potential as high performance lubricant additives. Using macroscale friction tests designed to mimic the high friction and wear conditions in automobiles, these novel lubricants can be evaluated as potential anti wear and high-performance additives. Using physicochemical characterization techniques and nanoscale friction tests, the lubricating ability of each fluid can be linked to its structure, enabling future researchers to make more informed decisions when selecting which lubricants to study further. Characterization experiments confirmed the ionic liquids are suitable for the high temperature and pressure environments inside an engine and can be added to a base oil without altering its viscosity and thermal stability. Tribology experiments showed the ionic liquids can reduce wear by up to 95% when used as neat lubricants, and 37% when employed as additives to a base oil.

Publication Date

6-26-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Mechanical Engineering (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Mechanical Engineering

College

Kate Gleason College of Engineering

Advisor

Patricia Iglesias

Advisor/Committee Member

Rui Liu

Advisor/Committee Member

Howard Tu

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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