Nanotechnology in Cars: Drive of the Future

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Cars are common expressions of how developed a nation is. True to this statement, the most developed nations of the world have their own and stable car manufacturing industries that they export to the rest of the world, earning revenues for the source country. More than that, some nations have become synonymous with the brand and quality of their manufactured cars as the case of Japan, Germany, and the United States. Unsatisfied with this and all the modifications they have created on their cars, they have taken automotive technology a bit further by using nanotechnology for cars.

When nanotechnology was discovered, the automotive industry was not seen as a possible beneficiary from this piece of knowledge. Yet in time, the automotive industry became one of the heaviest users of nanotech. With nanotechnology in cars, vehicles were made more efficient.

The Application of Nanotechnology in Cars

The following are some of the most common examples of the application of nanotechnology in cars:

•Engine and transmission systems. In contemporary cars, a large share of the vehicle’s weight is due to the weight of the engine and the transmission system of the vehicle. As a result, cars are fuel-hungry because of the need to push forward such a heavy machine. Nonetheless, with the advent of alloys, engines were made lighter somewhat but not sufficient to make them fuel-efficient. The answer came with the arrival of nanotechnology. With nanotechnology, engines and parts were made a lot lighter, thus eliminating the need to consume more fuel just to power the vehicle forward.

•Chassis. In the same manner that the engine and its parts were made lighter, the same benefit happened in the case of the chassis. Aside from being lighter, chassis and engines were also made more durable, making them withstand daily workload on the road.

•One of the most advanced examples of nanotechnology in cars involves the production of paint that is constituted in microvolumes. The idea is to create a surface that automatically heals itself whenever it is scratched or tainted with some foreign mark. This procedure allows for the paint to release nano paint particles that automatically spreads to cover up the scratched area. It works instantly you’ll hardy notice the surface was scratched at some point.

•Another of the advanced applications of nanotechnology for cars involves the production of mirrors and side panels that are made out of nano particles. Being so, they filter the rays of the sun, smoke, and other pollutants in the atmosphere. The same technology allows radio and phone signals as well as sound waves to freely enter the cars so that the occupants of the vehicle will not be made oblivious to the world outside. This is beneficial for those who have some form of hearing defects; even with all the windows closed, you may still be able to hear the honking of the horn of the next car. Likewise, you do not have to open the window when it is raining just to get a clear signal when calling from your mobile phone

Safety Concerns with Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is one of the hottest scientific discoveries of the present times. This is because nanotechnology presents a lot of promise that all other treatment methodologies before it were unable to deliver. Moreover, nanotechnology also saw applications in other areas aside from the fields it was intended for. As a result, the fields of applications of nanotechnology are as varied as the possible risks that come with it. As such, safety concerns with nanotechnology aired by ordinary citizens and experts alike must not be ignored because it is one of the ways to make the technology very safe for anyone using them.

Common Concerns with Nanotechnology

The following are some of the most common concerns expressed by people on the use of nanotechnology:

•Nanotechnology is a new scientific application. Although this can also mean to be a benefit for mankind, there are safety concerns related to its applications mainly because of the fact that it is something that is not yet fully tested. One of the safety concerns with nanotechnology in this field involves the application of the technology in medical and health fields. Some are afraid that they might trigger harmful effects instead of the intended beneficial effects.

•Because nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular levels, there are fears that such manipulation may result to the production of materials that will radically alter man’s way of life. This is seen especially to be dangerous in the field of medical applications where nano particles are used in various ways such as sunscreen and injectable medications. Safety concerns with nanotechnology in these areas are heightened because such manipulation of matter may trigger the body to react in a negative way to the presence of nanotechnology products.

•There are also fears that the environment may be placed in jeopardy that nanotechnology products may increase the pollution level in many areas at a time when the need for environmental conservation is vigorously pursued everywhere. For example, the production of better engines for automotives and windows for cars may prompt car manufacturers and local dealers to wantonly discard these parts that can possibly cause environmental nightmare with the absence of better programs on waste disposal. An interesting twist here is nanotechnology is a thriving business in the United States, amounting to billions of dollars. However, despite all these income, very little thought is spared for health and environmental concerns. Because nano particles are very small, they are very difficult to degrade and may easily pass on from one person to another, in the process becoming agents of ailments.

•Another of the numerous safety concerns with nanotechnology is the lack of a centralized monitoring agency that will see to it that all endeavors in this field are religiously monitored. As a proof of this, there are very little journals and researches on the safety concerns with nanotechnology that inevitably enhances the fears that people may have on this technological applications and advancements.

SWOT Analysis Concerning the Use of Nanomaterials in the Automotive Sector

This study has the objective to give an overview on the use of nanomaterials in the automotive sector and has not the goal to be exhaustive. It will give to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) the possibility to have a concise description of the development in this sector. For this reason no scientific detail and technological explanation are presented.

Four main aspects of the industrial branch will be described in the SWOT analysis. The “Strengths” and “Weaknesses” will give information on the actual State of the Art concerning the use of nanomaterials and the “Opportunities” and “Threats” will describe future Trends and Vision in the industrial sector.

 

For Detail Analysis click on bellow Link

http://www.nanoroad.net/download/swot_ai.pdf

Tribological Characteristics of Nanostructured and Composite Coatings

Composite coatings have been in use in various industries. Due to increasing demand in more compact designs, better reliability, lower fuel, lube or material consumption in most advanced tribological systems, the nanostructured compact coating is preferred to achieve better durability and high performance.

The nanostructured composite coatings possess excellent wear protection especially lower friction and wear loses and increased resistance towards fatigue. These coatings are extremely hard and tough in comparison to the conventional coatings. These nanostructural coatings are capable to improve the performance of some of the mechanical components in various industrial applications and are capable to increase the resistance towards deformation even in heavily loaded rolling or rotating contacts.

The actual industrial production of these nanostructured materials including metallic, ceramic or polymeric types has already begin a few years back. In the recent past ceramic-based nanostructured or composite materials has been tried successfully in microelectronics. Although the current cost of producing these nanoparticles is very high but several kind of ceramic-based composite materials has been produced and are being tried in automotive and biomedical fields.

The actual production of nanostructured and composite coatings is generally carried out using a vacuum deposition system. These can be applied to different ceramic and metallic substrates with strong bonding. In the recent past some of the nanostructured and composite coatings such as crystalline diamond, carbide derived carbon,nitride or carbide based nanocrystalline diamond are best suits for extreme tribological requirement as these can drastically reduce wear under heavy load or tough sliding conditions.

These structured and composite coatings may find use in various applications in automotive industry such as for production of high strength springs, valve lifter or fuel injectors. The scientists are examining the various possible application areas of ceramic nanostructured coatings such as sensors, optical materials, fuel cells and cutting tools.