A pan-European consortium has developed a composite coating, based on USA company ApNano Materials' inorganic fullerene (IF) nanoparticles.
ApNano Materials' nanoparticles are made of tungsten disulfide, which has a structure of nested spheres. These spheres lubricate mainly by rolling like miniature ball bearings. When used as an additive to oil, the material significantly enhances wear and friction properties.
The consortium, known as Fullerene-based Opportunities for Robust Engineering: Making Optimized Surfaces for Tribology (Foremost), has developed the coating to have better lubricating properties than ones that are currently available.
When tested under ...