An appraisal of the thermal decomposition mechanisms of ILs as potential lubricants

Abstract Ionic liquid (IL) lubricants are rapidly seeing increased use as either base lubricants or additives for a wide range of functionalities. This study considers the thermal stability of the ILs with the emphasis being their use as potential lubricants. The effect of IL chemistry, including anion chain length, cation chain length, anion type, and cation type, on their thermal stability is studied. The decomposition mechanism as a function of time and temperature is considered. Five ILs are studied by utilising both thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for the dynamic thermal decomposition and Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR) for the static thermal decomposition. For static thermal decomposition, both time and temperature are varied. The results show that the variation of IL chemistry directly influences their thermal stability. The increase of either cation or anion chain length decreases their thermal stability. Both anion and cation type have a significant influence on the thermal stability.