Time-Resolved Characterization of Dynamic Tribochemical Processes for Dicationic Imidazolium Ionic Liquid

Dynamic tribochemical processes for dicationic ionic liquid containing a geminal imidazolium cation head group bridged by a poly(ethylene glycol) and a bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion were studied using time-resolved mechanically stimulated gas emission mass-spectrometry (MSGE-MS). In comparison with similar monocationic imidazolium ionic liquids with short alkyl or long polyether side chains, the dicationic ionic liquid had a lower coefficient of friction on Ti6Al4V alloy and smoother behavior. The analysis of volatile decomposition products suggested multiple tribochemical reactions in which both anionic and cationic moieties are involved. The tribochemical degradation of cations was mainly through the detachment of the side and bridging chains from the imidazolium head groups. The absence of volatile products containing nitrogen implies that the imidazole group remained unchanged. Hydrogen and water desorption were attributed to the reactions of hydrogen fluoride being a product of anion degradation with titanium and titanium oxide, respectively.: The authors are grateful to M. Mahrova for providing the synthesized IL. The authors acknowledge the help of O. Sanchez in measuring the surface profiles. This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain through the grant BIA2016-79528-R.We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)