G8 Initiative: Nanodiamond-based Nanospacer Lubricants

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This NSF award funds U.S. researchers participating in a project competitively selected by the G8 Research Councils Initiative "Interdisciplinary Program on Material Efficiency - A first step towards sustainable manufacturing." This is a pilot collaboration among the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Canadian National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), the German Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR),and the United Kingdom Research Councils (RCUK), supporting collaborative research projects selected on a competitive basis that are comprised of researchers from at least three of the partner countries. North Carolina State University and the International Technology Center (U.S.), the NanoCarbon Research Institute (Japan), and the Ural Federal University (Russia) will develop a breakthrough technology based on nanodiamond particles as robust and effective anti-friction and anti-wear additives that will increase the durability of a wide range of industrial and transportation systems as well as enhance transportation fuel efficiency. Key elements of the research include creating stable colloidal suspensions of 4nm particles with a rounded shape that reduce friction by rolling; testing the tribological properties of these suspensions in PAO and industrial oils; characterizing the stability and properties of these structures via computer modeling; and developing a strategy for industrial scale implementation. Recent laboratory tests by our team suggest that DNDs can act as super-hard and slick lubrication additives capable of virtually eliminating wear and drastically reducing friction (5-10 times) of sliding interfaces. If this level of reduction in friction and wear is achieved in large mechanical systems, including combustion engines, the lifetimes and energy efficiency of these systems will increase dramatically, leading to replacement of fewer broken parts and overall lower manufacturing costs. Estimates suggest that if all US car owners used engine oil that produced only a 0.5% fuel economy improvement, the total cost savings would be $370 million per year. Thus the current project is aimed at providing the following global benefits: (i) reduced manufacturing costs through enhanced durability of sliding mechanical systems, (ii) reduced oil consumption through increased lubricant longevity, and (iii) reduced fuel consumption. Reduced fuel consumption will also lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions in industrial and transportation systems.