[redneck]

There may be something to this.


The properties and applications of nanodiamonds

http://web.ornl.gov/sci/first/public...4VMochalin.pdf


Tribology and lubrication. (bottom of page 19)

Tribology and lubrication The addition of diamond-containing detonation soot to lubricants49 decreases fuel consumption by ~5% and makes engines last longer. It was assumed that this happened because the graphite in the soot lubricated while the nanodiamonds reduced friction by polishing away asperities on sliding surfaces. However, purified nanodiamond itself provides enhanced tribological performance when dispersed alone or with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or metal nanoparticles in greases or oils116. Initially it was assumed that the nanodiamonds acted as ‘ball bearings’, but this has not been confirmed as universal in more recent studies117, which suggests that different lubrication mechanisms could be at work in different systems. For example, embedding nanodiamond from a lubricant into a carbon steel surface may explain reduced friction and wear, whereas the wear mechanism for an aluminium alloy is dominated by the viscosity of the nanodiamond suspension117.
The versatile surface chemistry of nanodiamond means that it can be tailored so that it disperses in a variety of different systems, including oil and water118. Carbon onions can also act as an efficient lubricant119, probably owing to the microscopic ball-bearing action. Overall, lubrication is more complex than it seems at first, but it is reasonable to assume that both nanodiamonds and carbon onions embedded into metal surfaces separate the sliding surfaces and prevent wear caused by metal–metal adhesion.

Definition of Tribology

Tribology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




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