A functionalized ionic liquid as the next‐generation nano‐lubricant

Abstract Ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted intensive research interest due to their outstanding physiochemical properties. However, comprehensive design is necessary for targeted applications and has rarely been conducted. As a result, the industry‐scale application of ILs is still very limited. In this academia–industry collaborative research among the University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech. University, and Seagate Technology LLC, we report the design, synthesis, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and characterization of a nanometer‐thick IL, which contains abundant fluorinated segments and a hydroxyl endgroup, as the next‐generation nano‐lubricant for hard disk drives (HDDs). The lab‐ and industry‐level testing results indicate that the IL lubricant performs significantly better than the state‐of‐the‐art lubricant, that is, perfluoropolyether (PFPE) that has been utilized for three decades in the HDD industry in two key functions: thermal stability and fly clearance. Meanwhile, the IL lubricant also shows excellent lubricity and durability. The outstanding performance of the IL has been attributed to its unique molecular structure on the solid substrate, which is supported by MD simulation results. Our work establishes the IL as a promising candidate among the next‐generation media lubricants in HDD industry. Meanwhile, the finding obtained here has important implications in many other applications involving nano‐lubricants.