Using biological waste from cassava plantsScientists have created a coating that virtually eliminates friction on metal parts. This breakthrough can extend the life of moving parts, reduce fuel costs, and generate huge savings across countless industries.
Any moving part within machinery has an inherent problem: the frictionwhich is responsible for consuming one-fifth of all energy generated worldwide each year. In addition, according to one study, damage caused by friction in machinery consumes between 1 and 4% of the GDP of industrialized economies. Sticking to “our own”, the automotive industry, around 1% of the GDP of industrialized economies is caused by the damage caused by friction in machinery. 30% of fuel which is used in passenger vehicles is used to overcome friction.
Reducing friction could impact the cost of running machines and save fuel to power cars. The research team, led by SUNY Polytechnic Institute of New York President Winston Soboyejo and researcher Tabiri Kwayie Asumadu, decided to tackle the friction challenge by focusing on a concept called “superlubrication.”
The superlubricity It is a condition of almost zero friction between two dry, moving materials in contact with each other. Superlubricating behaviour had only been observed between super-small particles at the nanoscale. But, according to this study, the phenomenon is possible at the macro scale.
The researchers deposited carbon derived from cassava plants onto metal surfaces using a low-cost, high-temperature biowaste treatment process. When the carbon bonded to the metal, it left behind the imprint of graphene, a material made of a single layer of carbon atoms. This material filled the grooves caused by wear, creating graphene contact points that protected the metal beneath.
In tests, carbon bonded to steel and nickel substrates led to a virtually frictionless state which held up under normal conditions for approximately 150,000 cycles.
“This research could impact most industries,” Asumadu said. “From biomedical to energy and almost all types of manufacturing, this approach could help extend the life of machine parts, reduce maintenance and replacement costs, and create a more sustainable industrial future.”
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