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The world uses tens of millions of tons of lubricant every year, from the smallest part of a micro-precision instrument to the expansion rollers on the largest bridges. Most are oil based, though others use powders, and even metals, and it's been that way for decades.
That could be changing as the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials (IWM), Nematel GmbH, and Dr. Tillwich GmbH have developed a new class of lubricants that are based on liquid crystals instead of oil. According to Fraunhofer, this is the first fundamentally new lubricant developed in twenty years. Liquid crystals are an oddity of the chemical world that most people know from digital displays and television sets, but are actually found in everything from cell membranes to soapy water. As the name implies, a liquid crystal is a substance that is neither entirely a liquid, nor a crystal, but possesses the properties of both, such as a liquid that retains the structure of a solid crystal.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Kromagv0 on Friday May 23 2014, @02:26PM
For those wondering why this is a good lubricant this little blurb is worth while.
What I wonder is how does it compare to other lubricants in things like film strength and breakdown under heat?
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(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday May 23 2014, @02:54PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday May 23 2014, @03:29PM
I know liquid crystals well!
So, if you drop the container, does the stain look like a spider web?
(Score: 1) by DECbot on Friday May 23 2014, @07:31PM
Drone Riot!
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by Jaruzel on Friday May 23 2014, @03:30PM
However, with certain uses of lube, a level of friction is desired, if not preferred. ;)
This is my opinion, there are many others, but this one is mine.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday May 23 2014, @03:43PM
Is it, by any chance, a self-replicating miracle clay that promises to transform the lives of all who are exposed to it? Does it have an uncanny ability to inspire rapt interest in the fields of soil mechanics and mud and dirt in general? Does it register over twenty kiloswanns on the balderdash scale? If so, be careful, don't get to close and DO NOT use it as a lubricant, you know, down there....
too obscure?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 23 2014, @03:47PM
I am a long-time commuter cyclist and I also prefer adjustable/rebuildable cup-cone-ball components on my bicycles.
According to what I know, bearings work properly when the balls are rolling in the races while under load. This means that there must be some friction; if friction is too low then the ball will no longer roll but will slide. Sliding will accelerate wear and distortion of the components. The point of the lubricant in this system is to reduce the rate of wear and distortion but not eliminate friction completely.
So, this new lubricant discovery ....what practical applications would this be good for? ....is it possible to overcome the bicycle-bearing anecdote I described above?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by TheLink on Friday May 23 2014, @05:17PM
On a vaguely related note, I wonder if it would be viable to use foil bearings on slow stuff by putting bearings between the wheel and the hub and spinning the stuff in between at high speed.
For example: outer wheel - foil bearing #1 - ring - foil bearing #2 - stationary hub.
The ring is then spun at high speeds. It might not take that much power to spin it once you get it going.
But would it be worth it compared to other bearings (magnetic, air, ball). For a bicycle probably not, since wind/air resistance is probably the biggest thing. And rolling resistance is probably even higher than the resistance of decent ball bearings.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday May 23 2014, @03:55PM
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(Score: 2) by Tork on Friday May 23 2014, @04:31PM
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(Score: 1) by Alfred on Friday May 23 2014, @05:42PM
That's funny.
But on a more serious note it has the Fraunhofer name on it. I believe this is where MP3 compression got its start.
so...
there will likely be claims of piracy, profit loss and a push to remove it from the market by the old guard of traditional lubricants.
(Score: 2) by Yog-Yogguth on Thursday May 29 2014, @11:30PM
Fraunhofer [wikipedia.org] (click that link and read) is something like a superpower. Frauenhofer is part of how Germany (a comparatively small country) manages to stay competitive with much bigger countries like the US and China and some argue even out-competes them on technology and innovation.
I didn't know the extent of it myself (despite being a little bit more familiar with them).
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(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday May 23 2014, @05:33PM
The material safety data sheet (MSDS) could have some nasty surprises. The liquid in flat screens is not that nice. So this can be something completely new in this aspect....
(Score: 5, Interesting) by randmcnatt on Friday May 23 2014, @05:50PM
The Wright brothers were not the first to fly: they were the first to land.