Tribological behaviour of PVD coatings lubricated with a FAP− anion-based ionic liquid used as an additive

This paper studies 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl) trifluorophosphate ionic liquid ([BMP][FAP]) as a 1 wt% additive to a polyalphaolefin (PAO 6) in the lubrication of CrN and TiN PVD coatings. Friction and wear behaviour were determined by using a ball-on-plate reciprocating tribometer at two loads (20 and 40 N) and a reciprocating frequency of 10 Hz. The tribological behaviour of this mixture has also been compared to a traditional oil additive, like zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP). As an additive, ionic liquid exhibited an important friction and wear reduction compared to the base oil. However, tests conducted with ZDDP show slightly better results. XPS was used to analyse wear surfaces. The interactions of each additive with the surface contributed to improving the tribological behaviour of the lubricants