Towards superior surface behavior, tribological and mechanical response by the green, functional ionic liquid water-glycol lubricating system

Introducing functional ILs into the water-glycol system can significantly improve its lubrication and corrosion resistance, therefore, it is meaningful to investigate the interaction between IL and the interface or water-ethylene glycol system. Herein, we designed two IL additives to achieve the construction of water-glycol lubricating system. The unique interfacial behavior between the IL and the sliding asperity makes it critical to the friction reduction and anti-wear effect. And the adsorbed layer with certain viscosity and elastic modulus was obtained on the metal surface, which is ascribed to the strong hydrogen bonding network structure and a hydration layer, thus showing excellent load-bearing capacity. Additionally, the tribofilm formed on the friction pair behave superior mechanical properties (high Young's modulus and hardness).