Comparison of Tribological Properties of Two Phosphate Ionic Liquid Lubricated Titanium Alloys

HU Shuai; SUN Yuchen; ZHANG Chaoyang; SUN Shuang; WANG Xingwei; LIU Yu; YANG Shuangshuang; YU Qiangliang; CAI Meirong

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.13.019

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Surface Technology ›› 2026, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (13) : 224-232. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.13.019

Friction, Wear and Lubrication

Comparison of Tribological Properties of Two Phosphate Ionic Liquid Lubricated Titanium Alloys

HU Shuai^1,2, SUN Yuchen², ZHANG Chaoyang^1,2,*, SUN Shuang^1,2, WANG Xingwei^1,2, LIU Yu^1,2, YANG Shuangshuang^1,2, YU Qiangliang^1,2,*, CAI Meirong^1,2

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Abstract

Due to its poor tribological properties, titanium alloy is prone to friction and wear in processing or application, resulting in equipment damage and failure. In order to improve its tribological properties, a phosphate amine salt ionic liquid (named AW) was designed and prepared, which was used as a new lubricant to improve the tribological properties of the titanium alloy. In this work, base oil PAO 10 and commercial additive AW6110 were selected for comparison to explore their lubrication performance on steel/titanium friction pairs, and the substitutability of ionic liquid AW for commercial additive AW6110 was analyzed through experiments. The thermal decomposition temperature of the three lubricants was measured by synchronous thermal analyzer. It was found that the thermal decomposition temperature of PAO 10 was the highest, while the thermal decomposition temperature of AW and AW6110 was not much different, indicating that AW had little effect on the thermal stability during the lubrication process after replacement of AW6110. The friction and wear properties of the three lubricants at room temperature and high temperature were measured by SRV-IV fretting friction and wear tester and non-contact three-dimensional surface profiler. It was found that the ionic liquid AW showed the most excellent anti-friction and anti-wear ability at different temperatures. The wear volume at room temperature and high temperature was reduced by 14.38% and 22.03% respectively compared with AW6110, which proved that the tribological properties of AW were better than AW6110. Therefore, it was concluded that ionic liquid AW could replace commercial additive AW6110 as a lubricant for titanium alloys. The wear morphology of the titanium disc was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The element distribution on the surface of the wear scar was analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), and the chemical state of the elements on the surface of the wear scar was further analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to explore the lubrication mechanism of ionic liquids on the surface of titanium alloy. The SEM image indicated that the wear morphologies of the three lubricants at room temperature and high temperature were similar. The wear spots of PAO 10 had serious adhesive wear, abrasive wear and metal surface spalling, while the wear spots of AW and AW6110 were significantly smaller than those of PAO 10, and the surface became smooth. After EDS test, the active elements N and P in the ionic liquid were detected on the surface of the wear spot. After XPS analysis, it was concluded that the ionic liquid had tribochemical reaction with the titanium alloy during the friction process. A lubricating protective film containing metal nitrides, titanium oxides and metal phosphates was formed on the surface of the titanium alloy, which effectively reduced the friction and wear phenomenon of the titanium alloy and showed the excellent tribological properties of the synthesized ionic liquid. This work provides a new idea and experimental basis for the subsequent development of titanium alloy lubricants with better performance and more friendly environment, and is also of great significance for the expansion of the application range of titanium alloy materials.

Key words

phosphate amine salt ionic liquid / additives / titanium alloy / tribological properties / lubrication mechanism

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HU Shuai, SUN Yuchen, ZHANG Chaoyang, SUN Shuang, WANG Xingwei, LIU Yu, YANG Shuangshuang, YU Qiangliang, CAI Meirong. Comparison of Tribological Properties of Two Phosphate Ionic Liquid Lubricated Titanium Alloys[J]. Surface Technology. 2026, 55(13): 224-232

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Funding

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21A2046, 52475226); Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDC0180302, XDC0180301); Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (2022429); the Science and Technology Project of Gansu Province (23ZDGA011, 24JRRA043); Taishan Scholars Program (tsqn202312299); Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2022ZD09)