WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Researchers have created a new type of non-liquid lubricant that has been shown to reduce friction and wear significantly under the extreme conditions found in various ...

Through a multi-university collaboration, researchers at Virginia Tech have discovered a new, solid lubricating mechanism that can reduce friction in machinery at extremely high temperatures. It works ...

There is a very peculiar dynamics of granular matter, such as dry sand or grains of wheat. When these granular particles are left on a vibrating solid surface, they are not only subject to random ...

Solid lubricants can be utilized as free-flowing powders, as additives in some oils and greases, and as key ingredients in high-performance anti-friction coatings and anti-seize pastes. These special ...

The dynamics of how liquids behave when confined in a nanoscale-sized space such as nanochannels, nanotubes or nanopores, is key to understanding a wealth of processes including lubrication, ...

Low-friction coatings are used on bearings for two reasons. The first is as a backup lubricant if the primary (fluid) lubricant fails or is insufficient to prevent surface-to-surface contact.

It has been known for more than 200 years that the maximum static friction force between two solid surfaces is usually greater than the kinetic friction force—the force that is required to maintain ...

Electrically tunable ionic hydrogels use small voltages to switch friction at metal contacts between high-friction and ultra-low-friction states, enabling voltage-programmed grip, release and motion ...

Scientists have explored friction at the microscopic level. They discovered that the force generating friction is much stronger than previously thought. The discovery is an important step toward ...

The process by which sheared suspensions go through a dramatic change in viscosity is known as discontinuous shear thickening. Although well-characterized on the macroscale, the microscopic mechanisms ...

(Nanowerk News) Researchers at UCL in a collaboration study with Laurent Joly, from the University of Lyon, have investigated the friction properties of liquid water at the interface with graphene and ...