Tribological and corrosive properties of ionic liquids containing triazole functional groups

Purpose - The aim of this paper was to inhibit the serious corrosion of conventional ionic liquids, a series of new ionic liquids (ILs) containing the triazole functionality, as the anti-corrosion groups were synthesized in this work. Design/methodology/approach - It is well known that nitrogen and sulfur containing organic compounds have been traditionally used as corrosion inhibitors. Among them, triazole derivatives are most often used as corrosion inhibitors. To alleviate the corrosion of the ILs and further improve the anti-wear property, the authors prepared a series of imidazolium ILs modified with the triazole functionality in the present study. Findings - The corrosion behavior of the ILs was evaluated with the iron disk corrosion test and their tribological properties were investigated on an Optimol SRV IV oscillating friction and wear tester at elevated temperatures. The results showed that the ILs with the triazole functionality could effectively reduce the corrosion and exhibit a smaller friction coefficient and wear volume than the unmodified counterpart. The ILs containing the triazole functionality can be used as the single component anti-corrosion base oils even at elevated temperatures. Originality/value - The results showed that the ILs with the triazole functionality could effectively reduce the corrosion and exhibit a smaller friction coefficient and wear volume than the unmodified counterpart. The ILs containing the triazole functionality can be used as the single component anti-corrosion base oils even at elevated temperatures.