Anti-wear and friction-reducing lubricants and additives to lubricants for both ferrous and non-ferrous materials with/without DLC (diamiond-like-coatings) or graphene-based coatings, which are halogen free boron based ionic liqs. comprising a combination of an anion chosen from a mandelato borate anion, a salicylato borate anion, an oxalato borate anion, a malonato borate anion, a succinato borate anion, a glutarato borate anion and an adipato borate anion, with at least one cation selected from a tetraalkylphosphonium cation, a choline cation, an imidazolium cation and a pyrrolidinium cation, wherein said at least one cation has at least one alkyl group substituent with the general formula CnH2n+1 , wherein 1≤n≤80. Advantages of the invention include that it provides halogen free ionic liqs. for lubrication and that sensitivity for hydrolysis is reduced.