Description
Ionic liquids (ILs) have gained considerable attention owing to their unique and tunable physico-chemical properties (e.g., low vapor pressure, high thermal stability, low flammability, good ionic conductivity, wide electrochemical stability window), which have made them useful for a range of applications, including energy storage, catalysis, and chemical processing. ILs are particularly attractive in lubrication, since their properties make them suitable for reducing friction and/or wear in a variety of applications, such as automotive, manufacturing, aerospace, and semiconductor devices.
In this talk, I will provide an overview of the potential use of ILs in tribology with a particular focus on their promising properties when used in the boundary lubrication regime, i.e., when applied loads are too high and sliding speeds are too low for a full fluid film to be maintained. Under these conditions, the interfacial structure and properties of ILs start to deviate from the ones in their bulk phase. Specifically, the strong spatial confinement of ILs between sliding surfaces promotes the interaction between the IL molecules and the confining surfaces as well as between the functional groups within the ions. These strong interactions under confinement affect the behaviors of the ILs in terms of phase transition, ion mobility, and chemical reactivity. As the properties and dynamic evolution of IL/solid interfaces under tribological applications play a critical role in determining the lubrication performance in the boundary lubrication regime, I will discuss in detail the current state-of-the-art concerning the interfacial phenomena occurring between IL and solid materials under confinement using the results of our research group as particular example. I will then highlight the emerging knowledge on the interrelationship between the molecular structure of ILs and their behavior at sliding interfaces.
Finally, I will discuss the potential application of ILs in future technologies enabled by research efforts aiming to overcome three major challenges for ILs, namely their sensitivity to ambient moisture, corrosivity and toxicity, and high-cost.
Dr. Filippo Mangolini earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland) in 2011, after graduating from Polytechnic University of Milan (Milan, Italy) in Materials Engineering with the highest honor in 2006. Upon completion of his Ph.D. in 2011, Dr. Mangolini performed postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania and then at Ecole Centrale de Lyon (Lyon, France). His postdoctoral research was supported by the European Union through a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship and by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) through an SNSF Postdoctoral Fellowship. After two years at the University of Leeds (Leeds, UK) as a University Academic Fellow and Marie Curie Fellow, Dr. Mangolini joined the faculty of the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin in Spring 2018 as an Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering. He was recently promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure (effective in August 2024).
Dr. Mangolini has received a number of international and national awards and honors for outstanding research and teaching achievements, including the 2022 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Burt L. Newkirk Award, 2021 NSF CAREER Award, 2021 Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) Early Career Award, 2020 Dean’s Award for Outstanding Engineering Teaching by an Assistant Professor, 2020 Teaching award from the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2018 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, and the 2016 Mazzucotelli Award from the Italian Chemical Society.