ApNano Materials, Inc.,
a cleantech company and provider of nanotechnology-based products, today announced
that vehicle tests carried out by independent automotive test centers and car
fleets, including field tests of cars and heavy trucks, show that NanoLub, the
company's proprietary nanotechnology-based lubricant, led to an enhancement
in compression efficiency and a reduction of over 5% in fuel consumption of
the vehicles. The tests found that NanoLub caused also a reduction in engine
temperature and noise. Tests also showed that the NanoLub additivated oil did
not harm the engine.
“The findings strengthen the results of many other experiments conducted
in the last 7 years since the foundation of ApNano Materials,” said Dr.
Menachem Genut, ApNano Materials’ President and CEO. “The experiments
show that in addition to NanoLub’s benefits in friction and wear reduction,
the revolutionary lubricant directly reduces fuel consumption. These days when
the prices of fuels are very volatile, NanoLub is a real contribution to energy
saving as well as to the reduction in the emission of green house gases. NanoLub
not only contributes to fuel economy but is also a real cleantech product.”
NanoLub is based on nanosized particles of tungsten disulfide (WS2) that have
a structure of nested spheres, called inorganic fullerenes, whose lubrication
mechanism includes the layers slipping off under loads to form an adherent film
that reduces friction and wear . When used as an additive to liquid oil or grease,
NanoLub significantly enhances the lubricating properties of the oil or grease
with respect to wear and friction by an order of magnitude versus the same lubricant
without this additive. In addition, NanoLub “wraps” the moving parts
with a lubricating thin film - called a tribofilm - and continues to lubricate
normally for a long time, as an ‘uninterruptable lubrication source’
during severe oil leakages.
Companies currently distributing products formulated with NanoLub include ORAPI–
a key French grease manufacturer for industrial applications with worldwide
distribution channels; Luval S.A. - a major Chile-based lubricant producer for
heavy industry and mining whose improved greases treated with NanoLub are in
use in several copper mines in Chile; Sonol – an Israeli fuel company.
Multisol is marketing NanoLub in Europe, Shima Trading, a large Japanese trading
company is marketing the product in Japan and Tempo is marketing it in Canada.
OPET, a Turkish fuel oil distribution company owned by the Koc Group, with a
network of over 1,300 service stations in Turkey is launching this Spring an
add on product based on NanoLub.
“NanoLub has gained worldwide recognition for its successful performance
and the great benefits for the end-user,” said Aharon Feuerstein, ApNano
Materials' Chairman and CFO. “Due to the growing demand, we have significantly
increased our manufacturing capacity at our production plant.”
Numerous studies worldwide have shown the unique benefits of NanoLub. For example:
a study carried out at the University of Newcastle in England found that NanoLub
reduces gear wear by 5 – 6 times. Another example is a study carried out
at the University of Stockholm where it was shown that the application of NanoLub
on steel surfaces led to the formation of a protective film on the surface of
the metal during work contact.
The superlubricity of the NanoLub particles was demonstrated by the group of
Professor J. M. Martin of Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France. Their experiments
demonstrated that when NanoLub was used as an additive to oil, it caused a very
low friction coefficient and low wear. From the characterization performed after
friction, several phenomena have been proposed to explain these friction reducing
properties: NanoLub’s fullerenes delamination, formation of a tribofilm
made of WS2 sheets on the surfaces, superlubricity of the sheets and a rolling
effect of the particle. According to the conclusions of the work of the French
group a combination of all these effects can explain the excellent tribological
(friction and wear reduction) properties of NanoLub.
Posted March 12th, 2009
