Intelligent biolubricant adapts to the friction of each machine

Intelligent Biolubricant

Intelligent Biolubricant – A team from several European universities has developed a biolubricant – made from vegetable oils – which may have its viscosity changed during use, during the operation of the machine that it must lubricate.

“We wanted to generate the necessary technological knowledge to develop lubricating fluids that control the typical processes of friction and wear, but adapting to changing conditions, such as temperature, load and speed of the mechanical elements,” explained Professor Miguel Ángel Delgado, from the University of Huelva, Spain.

This was made possible by the addition of nanoparticles extracted from various clays, which make the oil responsive to an electric field, allowing to control the friction and wear process according to the use profile of the machine or motor.

There are already “smart” lubricants on the market, but they are usually made with highly toxic chemicals, such as molybdenum sulfide, and the main vehicle is petroleum-derived oil, which is not biodegradable.

Electroactive Fluid

To create the electroactive fluid, the team added clay nanoparticles from the class of montmorillonites to vegetable oils, such as castor oil, extracted from castor beans, and used frying oils.

Montmorillonites are hydrated aluminum, magnesium and calcium silicates, structured in layers that slide easily against each other. They are already used as lubricants in the drilling industry to help cool bits and remove crushed material. But here the team figured out how to take advantage of not only its mechanical properties, but also the electrical properties of its minerals.

At a temperature of 60 ºC, the montmorillonite nanoparticles disperse naturally in the oil, with the homogeneity obtained by mechanical agitation. But the fundamental step for creating the electroactive “oil-gel” is in the application of ultrasound, whose vibrations generate internal forces that disperse the nanoparticles on the nanometer scale.

Once the lubricant is placed in the mechanism of a machine, its viscosity is determined as a function of an externally controlled electrical voltage. This is because electricity polarizes and organizes the nanoparticles in the oil.

“The properties of lubricants must be adapted to the activity of the mechanical elements where they are used. For example, a car engine is not the same as an industrial engine. The temperature, speed and load to which they are subjected during their operation are totally different. and that’s why they need different lubricants. Our biolubricant adapts to changing conditions,” explained Moisés García, the main person responsible for developing the smart oil.