Guojun Liu’s nanotechnology discovery has been awarded with the prestigious Captain Alfred E. Hunt Award. |
Guojun Liu has discovered a way to use nanotechnology to
reduce friction in automobile engines and machines.
“The technology should be useful in a wide range of
machineries other than automobile engines,” says Dr. Liu, a professor in the
Department of Chemistry and an expert in polymer synthesis. “If implemented
industrially, this nanotechnology should help prolong machine life and improve
energy efficiency.”
Dr Liu’s team prepared miniscule polymer particles that
were only tens of nanometers in size. These particles were then dispersed in
automobile engine base oils. When tested under metal surface contact conditions
that simulated conditions found in automobile engines, these tiny particles
were discovered to have an unprecedented friction reduction capability.
Even at a low concentration, the nanoparticles performed
much better than the friction additive that is currently used by many
industries. They were able to reduce friction by 55% more than the currently
achievable rate.
Dr. Liu’s discovery has earned the Society of
Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers’ Captain Alfred E. Hunt Memorial Award.
This prestigious award is given annually to the STLE member who authors the
best paper dealing with the field of lubrication or an allied field.
This is the first research that Dr. Liu has done in the
field of friction reduction and lubrication.
