Ionic Liquids as lubricants in clean and vacuum environments
Contamination-sensitive applications are common in advanced industries such as semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, life sciences, and space technology. Strict control of particles, volatile species, and chemical contaminants is essential to ensure process reliability and product quality. These applications are therefore typically conducted in cleanrooms or cleanroom-like environments, often involving vacuum as an additional process or environmental condition. Lubricants used in such environments must combine reliable tribological performance with exceptional cleanliness. In addition to controlling friction and wear, they must exhibit low volatility and outgassing as well as sufficient chemical and thermal stability. These requirements strongly constrain material selection and distinguish their development from that of conventional lubricants.
Ionic Liquids are composed entirely of organic or inorganic ions that typically exhibit melting points below 100 °C, with many being liquid at room temperature and below. Their properties can be systematically adjusted through the selection and modification of cations and anions. In diverse research articles their technical potential as lubricants has been discussed. As molecular salts Ionic Liquids display negligible/extremely low vapor pressures, which makes them interesting materials for lubricant applications in vacuum or in clean environments.
| Requirements for clean/vacuum lubricants | Profile of ionic liquids |
| Low volatility/outgassing | Ionic liquids generally exhibit extremely low vapor pressures |
| Thermal stability | Many ionic liquids show high thermal stability, although practical long-term stability can be lower than short-term TGA values suggest |
| Chemical stability | Can be very high, but strongly depends on cation, anion, impurities, moisture, and contact materials |
| Suitable viscosity | Ionic liquids cover a very broad viscosity range and can be tailored |
| Low friction and wear | Numerous ionic liquids show good boundary lubrication and strong surface interactions. Ionic species can adsorb strongly on surfaces and may form protective tribofilms |
PFAS free lubricant products based on Ionic Liquids – The first in Europe !
Over more than five years, Materiales has built extensive expertise in the research and development of ionic liquid-based lubricants. These activities have been supported by the German ZIM funding program, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Following the successful completion of the development and validation phase, the technology is now ready for commercialization. Under the product label Stellane® the ionic liquid-based lubricant technology will be available towards the second half of 2026, offering both lubricating oils and greases for demanding applications.
Technical datasheets and additional information are available on request. Interested partners are invited to contact us to discuss potential use cases, samples, and pilot testing opportunities. In the first half of November 2026, a product presentation in form of a webinar will take place. Further information will follow soon.
Materiales is the first company in Europe, and one of the first worldwide, to bring dedicated ionic liquid-based lubricant products to the market.
What happens next?
Already now, the lubricants are tested under representative conditions in tribological components in vacuum. Under a current activity that is supported by ESA and DLR, our development partner ESTL (https://esrtechnology.com/estl) conducts different long duration component tests at varying conditions to improve the understanding of our lubricants. One type of experiments will be testing in their Advanced Bearing Test Rig (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fluid-lubricant-testing-advanced-bearing-test-rig-esr-technology-6wm2e/). Overall, the testing program is designed to build valuable application experience with the lubricants, while demonstrating the potential of these innovative technology solutions and building confidence in their performance and reliability.
Interested? Get in touch with us via phone (+49 40 57256735) or email (info@materiales.de)
