A recent scientific breakthrough has made cassava waste into a coating that virtually eliminates friction between metal parts. This discovery could improve fuel economy, extend the life of moving parts, and generate significant cost savings across many industries.
The Friction Problem
Moving parts in machines have an inherent problem: friction. According to a recent research paper by scientists from various institutions in Africa and the United States, friction consumes about one-fifth of all energy produced worldwide each year. Furthermore, friction damage to machines accounts for between one and four percent of the GDP of industrialized economies.
In the automobile industry, about 30 percent of the fuel used in passenger vehicles is used to overcome friction.
Impact on Costs and Fuel Savings
Reducing friction could have a significant impact on the operating cost of machinery and save fuel in automobiles. The research team, led by Winston “Wole” Soboyejo, president of SUNY Polytechnic Institute of New York, and postdoctoral researcher Tabiri Kwayie Asumadu, decided to tackle the friction challenge by focusing on a concept known as “superlubricity.” Superlubricity is a state of near-zero friction between two dry materials that are moving and in contact with each other.
Research
Until now, superlubricity behavior has only been observed between extremely small particles, on the nanometer scale. However, the new study shows that the phenomenon is possible on a macroscopic scale.
To do this, the researchers deposited carbon derived from cassava plants onto metal surfaces using a low-cost, high-temperature biospray treatment process. Once bound to the metal, the carbon acquired the structure of graphene, a material made of a single layer of carbon atoms. This material filled the grooves caused by wear, creating graphene-only contact points that protected the underlying metal.
Results and applications
In testing, carbon bonded to steel and nickel substrates produced a virtually frictionless state that remained robust under normal conditions for approximately 150,000 cycles.
“This research could really impact most industries,” Asumadu said.
“From biomedical to energy to virtually every type of manufacturing, this approach could help extend the life of machine parts, reduce maintenance and replacement costs, and create a more sustainable industrial future . »
Publication of results
The article describing the results was published in the journal Applied Materials Today.
This advancement not only represents innovation in materials and engineering, but also offers a sustainable solution to reduce resource dependence and improve energy efficiency in various industrial applications.
Source : sunypoly.edu