For high-vacuum and clean environment applications, traditional lubricating greases often pose a challenge due to their poor outgassing performance. This issue becomes particularly frustrating when designing critical equipment for industries like semiconductor manufacturing or medical devices, where contamination from outgassing must be minimized. Finding a lubrication method that offers both excellent performance and minimal outgassing can be difficult.
IKO's innovative Liquid Crystal Lube technology provides a cutting-edge solution. Designed specifically for vacuum applications, this lubricant bridges the gap between high-performance and low outgassing, eliminating the trade-offs engineers have faced with conventional lubricants. Liquid Crystal Lubrication offers a superior alternative to greases made from conventional base oils and thickeners.
What is Liquid Crystal Lubrication?
Unlike conventional greases, which consist of dissimilar molecules that easily evaporate and don’t adhere well to metal surfaces, liquid crystal lubricants behave differently. These advanced lubricants form molecular aggregates that create smooth, "ordered boundary layers" that effortlessly slide past one another. This molecular structure significantly enhances adhesion to metal surfaces while reducing evaporation rates.
Liquid Crystal Lubricants: Unmatched Performance in Rigorous Testing
IKO's Liquid Crystal Lubricant Series is the world’s first to be made entirely from liquid crystal compounds. In rigorous testing, these lubricants have demonstrated exceptional outgassing performance at 10 -5 Pa, even under high temperatures. Key test results include:
Minimal detection in mass spectrometry under vacuum conditions at 100°C and 200°C.
Zero weight loss in open atmosphere testing, even at 100°C for over 770 hours.
One-tenth the particle generation compared to lithium soap-based greases.
Other performance advantages include:
Long-term durability, lasting more than 40 times longer than fluorine grease in room temperature and atmospheric conditions, and up to six times longer at elevated temperatures.
Lower rolling resistance than fluorine grease or consistency #2 lithium soap-based greases.