Regenerating Engine Coating is the Next Big Thing in Lubrication
Have you ever heard of the word Tribology? It’s okay, before this article, neither had I. And no, it’s not some stupid new segment for the Top Gear replacement Drive Tribe. Illinois’ Argonne National Laboratory, home to one of the largest lasers in the world and a major scientific hub in the U.S., has a tribology laboratory for research on “surface engineered materials, lubricants, fuels, and fuel/lubricant additives for use in aggressive environments.”
One of the most relative aggressive environments they study are engines of all sorts, including cars. As you all know, the constant heat and pressure in engines requires oil to keep everything lubricated. But oil wears down amidst all the friction, and you have to change it to keep your engine efficient and safe. Argonne wants to eventually eliminate this, but for now, they’ve discovered a revolutionary new coating that could change lubrication treatments forever.
Scientists Ali Erdemir, Badri Narayanan, Osman Levent Eryilmaz, Giovanni Ramirez, Subramanian Sankaranarayanan, and Argonne’s supercomputer Mira are responsible for the discovery. Basically, it’s an engine parts coating that interacts with oil. Once it comes in contact with the oil, it structural film develops, and once that film wears down due to the normal friction inside an engine, the coating will once again come in contact with the oil and regenerate another film all on its own. It’s brilliant.
In the Chicago Tribune article, the technology is described to be similar to how a diamond is formed, referring to diamonds forming from pressure and heat.
“That’s the key role of these catalysts. They become active at the conditions that normally would induce wear,” Sankaranarayanan said. “They actually convert the liquid into a solid form.”
The aim of this type of added protection and lubrication is to extend the life of the oil in the engine and deter people from using other additives. Both the oil and the additives are harmful to the environment, so prolonging the time between oil changes means less oil is used. The added lubrication could also keep your engine in good shape and possibly provide better fuel economy.
Because Argonne has developed similar non-regenerating coatings before, the technology to implement this already exists, so you might start to see this on various parts in the near future.
via [Chicago Tribune / Argonne]