Novel nano materials with selected properties for high performing, environmentally friendly fuels and lubricants have recently been developed. Some of these provide enhanced frictional properties via unique “ball bearing” type mechanisms due to their spherical shape and small size. Others rely on interactions with the metal surfaces of engine parts under pressure to form glassy sacrificial layers via particle breakdown at the solid steel/liquid interface providing self-healing mechanisms to improve wear and reduce fuel consumption.
Advanced nano materials like inorganic-fullerenes (IF) used as additives to oils and greases significantly improve the anti-friction and anti-wear properties of these lubricants, as the IF treated oils and greases extensively enhance the performance of all sorts of moving parts, resulting in large energy savings, less costly equipment maintenance, improved productivity and reduced pollution.
In order to be able to carry out in-situ tribological studies and to study the tribo-film formation and possible chemical changes on the friction exposed surfaces, advanced analytical instruments: TEM, SEM, FIB, XPS. EDX, EELS instruments are used.
A friction reducing mechanism will be presented and the origin of the chemical changes will be discussed.