Revolutionary Nanomaterials .... Small But Big in Performance and Greener than Conventional Materials
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2025-04-01 |
| Journal | ARAI Journal of Mobility Technology |
| Authors | Mr. Avinash Arankalle |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāA rising revolutionary star in enhancing performances and solutions for future automotives are nanomaterials. They demonstrate a paradigm in design concepts from component engineering through atomic / molecular level to multi-functional engineering approaches. At 10-9 scale, characteristics and fundamental bulk properties of materials magically change in a valuable way due to - increase in relative surface area to volume and new quantum effects of less than 100nm in size solid particles on physics of their electron properties. Various types of emerging nanomaterials seen in the market are - Nano steels, Nanoparticles (NPs), Carbon based nanotubes and Graphene based nanocomposites since the discovery of C60 allotrope form of carbon known as Buckminster fullerene. After the second world war and understanding the importance of rubbers in war-field tankers, USA and allied countries realized to develop synthetic elastomers than dependency of natural rubber resources in Brazil as first ever revolutions in materials technology. Later on, the oil crisis of 1971 and the birth of OPAC, the auto industry geared up for the development of fuel-efficient vehicles with the introduction of CAFĆ standard and shifted to lightweight materials such as engineering plastics and composites. However, it led to increased accidental cases leading to the safety and crashworthy legislations by 1985s, with more & more focus on safety in addition to fuel efficient, corrosion resistance high performance materials. Lightweight aluminium, magnesium and titanium-based alloys emerged in the market with the competitive edge of advanced high strength steels (AHSS) not only for ICEs but also in the last decade for e-mobility to compensate high weight lithium ion batteries, electric motors to improve power density and shelf life. Now the world is in the era of 4th generation UHSS where nano steels - one of the candidate in nanomaterials is finding applications for BIW and other structural components for the energy management crumple zones and passenger compartment for the crashworthy design in the future. The nano steels may replace AHSS grades such as DP steels, MART steels, TRIP steels for the sustainable development. They provide much more mass savings than AHSS with high strength, stiffness and ductility to meet stringent legislations. The upcoming one in nano steel category is high modulus high strength lightweight nanoparticle embedded steels for vehicle suspension systems e.g. cross members. Carbon is a wonder boy element in the periodic table which exhibit many allotropic forms - the most common known to human-beings in the past are amorphous carbon, graphite and diamond with wide applications from jewelry to heavy industry machineries. However, in the recent past more allotropic forms are being discovered with Nobel prize awards and patents such as C40, C60, C70 from which graphene nanotubes (single wall and multiwall), nanorods (quantum dots), nanobots are synthesized for the wide range of applications in the form of powders, oxides, coatings and graphene based composites. Potential futuristic applications are in - frames and body, powertrain, suspension & braking system, tyres, lubricants, paints & coatings, electronics and infomatics. In e-mobility they are the best alternatives to overcome various barriers of technologies in Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells, fuel cells and photocatalysts to achieve global long-term targets of net zero GHG emissions as renewable green energy resources. Over the conventional materials, the nanomaterials technology may potentially benefit in savings of 7.9 billion gallon fuels and 68 billion liters of CO2 emissions to contribute for green environment on an average for 210 million vehicles (cars & truck) on the road in addition to weight savings. The change in life cycle impact will be on an average 22% and 46% in total and weighed toxic releases and transfers respectively. Thus, the impact of the use of nanomaterials for the mobility vehicles on the road in replacing conventional materials is highly impressive and beneficial. In conclusion, the special āNanomaterials Technology Hubā with small to large scale supply management chain of Tire - I, Tire - II & Tire - III chain along with OEMs in collaborations with Academia, R&D Institutes and GoI for āMake in Indiaā national visionary project is most essential for India to lead the world and achieve net zero emissions and clean environment. In the skill development there will be opportunities in employment and generating entrepreneurs in the country.