Ionic liquids (ILs) are finding technological applications as chemical reaction media and engineering fluids. Some emerging fields are those of lubrication, surface engineering and nanotechnology. ILs are thermally stable, non-flammable highly polar fluids with negligible volatility, these characteristics make them ideal candidates for new lubricants under severe conditions, were conventional oils and greases or solid lubricants fail. Such conditions include ultra-high vacuum and extreme temperatures. Other very promising areas which depend on the interaction between IL molecules and material surfaces are the use of ILs in the lubrication of microelectromechanic and nanoelectromechanic systems (MEMS and NEMS), the friction and wear reduction of reactive light alloys and the modification of nanophases.

Room-temperature Ionic Liquids (ILs) are being studied as new lubricants in a variety of sliding contacts. One of their more interesting tribological applications is that of steel-aluminium lubrication. In this work we present the surface interaction mechanisms and tribocorrosion processes which have been found in the use of ILs formed by a 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium cation and a fluorine-containing anion as neat lubricants of 52100 steel-2011 aluminium pairs. The results obtained by electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Disperssive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) techniques are discussed as functions of Ionic Liquid (IL) composition and properties.