Film thickness decreased with growing the concentration of CuO. As a result, the dark regions represent the deposition of CuO nanoparticles around the contact surfaces. This deposition can compensate for the mass loss on the get in touch with surfaces by the “mending effect”. This mechanism of CuO nanoparticles was reported in earlier study, exactly where CuO nanoparticles were utilised as an additive in synthesis oil [25]. In the tests lubricated with ZnO, the color at the center of interferometric images was identified to become pretty related to that of your test with pure IL. It suggests that ZnO combined with all the IL didn’t substantially affect the tribofilms’ properties formed by the IL. Nonetheless, as the concentration of zinc oxide nanoparticles enhanced, colored regions appeared around the put on surface from the ball that had been distinct from the colour of tribofilms formed by the IL. The enhance in the tribofilms’ thickness inside the test of IL 0.five wt ZnO was shown by the darker colors in the interferometric images.Decanoyl-L-carnitine manufacturer Figure 7. Cont.Components 2021, 14,9 ofFigure 7. Series of interference photos for unique concentrations of nanoparticles right after rising rubbing time: (a) IL, (b) IL 0.2 wt CuO, (c) IL 0.5 wt CuO, (d) IL 0.two wt ZnO, and (e) IL 0.five wt ZnO.three.three. Surface Evaluation Chemical components on disc surfaces immediately after the put on test have been analyzed by SEM/EDX at three locations, which includes unwear surfaces, scratches, and defects. Ahead of any test of surface analysis, the specimens were cleaned with ethanol in an ultrasonic bath. Figure 8 shows an SEM image and EDX analysis final results of the unwear surface. Though the unwear surface was not abraded by the contact in between the ball and disc, the look with the fluorine component from the [N1888] [NTf2] showed that chemical reactions may perhaps happen among the [NTf2] anion along with the metal surfaces upon heating. The chemical element fluorine could affect the corrosion process on the metal surfaces depending on its concentration [36].Materials 2021, 14,ten ofFigure eight. (a) SEM image and (b) EDX evaluation on the unwear surface around the disc.SEM/EDX surface evaluation of the rubbed surfaces on discs from the tests lubricated with the IL and different concentrations of CuO and ZnO nano-oxides are shown in Figure 9. The chemical composition of worm surfaces around the disc was analyzed at two distinctive points, defects, and scratches. The survey spectra along with the weight percentages of chemical compositions on the defects are represented by the figures on the right side in the corresponding SEM images. The distribution of chemical components on the scratch line for all tested lubricants is summarized in Table 4.Figure 9. Cont.Components 2021, 14,11 ofFigure 9. SEM micrographs of worn surface (left) and EDX analysis of defects (suitable) for the tests lubricated with all the IL and various concentrations of nanoparticles: (a) IL, (b) IL 0.2 wt CuO, (c) IL 0.five wt CuO, (d) IL 0.2 wt ZnO, and (e) IL 0.five wt ZnO.Both on the oxide nanoparticles exhibited distinctive lubrication mechanisms once they were added to the [N1888] [NTf2]. The presence of copper in the EDX outcomes, shown in Figure 9b,c and Table 4, indicates that the CuO nano-oxide reacted with all the IL and deposited on the surfaces in get in touch with. An instance of a chemical reaction of CuO having a water-free [NTf2] VBIT-4 Autophagy anion-based IL was represented inside the work [37]. The authors pointed out that CuO could successfully be dissolved within the water-free IL upon heating to 175 C for 24 h. Because the put on test condit.