Nanotechnology in Transport

                                 Nanotechnology is leading to safer, more efficient, and longer-lasting vehicles. This will have many benefits; not least for consumers and the environment. Nanotechnology can now make cars scratch-resistant through thin-films, or provide better visibility with nanocoatings for glass, or improved impact resistance through the inclusion of nanocomposites in body panels.Vehicle efficiency can be increased using alternative energy supplies such as fuel cells, thermoelectric generators etc. Vehicle emissions can be cut through the inclusion of additives in fuel, and nanostructured catalysts.

Nanotechnology could be the breakthrough the automotives industry needed. Advances in nanotechnology research and development are providing car manufacturers with new techniques and materials for building lighter, more fuel efficient cars with the added bonus of more attractive and safer components for the industry.

New materials

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs - pictured left) are five times less dense than steel and approximately 30 times stronger. These mechanical properties make them ideal candidates for the reinforcement of polymers (such as in car bumpers). 

 Controlling the nanoscale structure of other materials can also improve them by increasing strength and ability to cope with deformation, eg aluminium foams are being developed which have nanoscale pores that give much more impact resistance than standard aluminium sheets. Decreasing the grain size of metals and ceramics increases their strength and malleability.For example, nanoceramics are being applied as coatings to the paintwork of cars that offer improved durability. Companies which are using this include Mercedes Benz and   Nissa.

More Fuel Efficient

Nanotechnology offers a number of applications which can make transport more fuel efficient. 

One major example is cerium oxide nanoparticles from Oxonica. Branded 'Envirox', these are used in diesel fuel to greatly increase fuel efficiency. Introducing the nanoparticles reduces fuel deposits on pistons and cylinders, increasing fuel efficiency by about 10%, and also reduces emissions by approximately 15%. Click here for a demo of how it works. 

Thermoelectric generators are expected to be used within the next 10 to 15 years to make use of the waste heat from vehicle engines and exhausts. These could replace the alternator and increase power by three to five horsepower, which again increases fuel efficiency and reduces emissions.

Finally, nanotechnology is producing lighter materials, such as reinforced plastics which can be used instead of traditional heavier alloys for vehicle components. Lightening the overall vehicle weight can greatly increase fuel efficiency.

 Lower Emissions

Advanced catalysts are an example of how nanotechnology offers great potential for reducing harmful emissions. Currently, impurities in fuel combined with inefficient reactions produce harmful emissions such as nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. Nanostructured metal oxide catalysts can potentially decrease the amount of these pollutants by increasing both combustion efficiency and the breakdown of these gases into less harmful compounds.

Filters for diesel particulates are also being enhanced by nanotechnology. Nanoceramic devices collect matter at the exhaust, and use the high temperature to break particles down into gas molecules.