When size matters: Nanotechnology for energy efficiency

With the increasing worldwide demand for energy there is a pressure to use the finite energy resources wisely whilst reducing one of the major areas of energy consumption, transportation, which accounts for more than 20% of the world's total primary energy and produces much of the world's pollution.

Alternative fuels, such as bio-fuels, hydrogen fuels, fuel cells and electric batteries, being developed by the automotive industry need further development and a considerable time for their full adaptation into transportation, including passenger cars, trucks, aircrafts and trains.

A postgraduate researcher with the Department of Engineering, Sinan Kandemir is fabricating light and strong resistant materials with nano-additives to create lighter components for automotive and aerospace industries that will help improve energy efficiency, minimise CO₂ emissions and preserve the environment.

By using a novel processing technique, ultrasonic method, to disperse aluminium-based nano-particles homogenously through the liquid, his research promises quicker results while the industry is making advances with alternative fuels.

Kandemir explained: "The Kyoto agreement and the European Commission suggest that the automotive manufacturers should reduce their vehicle weight to minimise CO₂ emissions and conserve finite oil (fossil fuel) reserves.

"Although light materials, including aluminium and magnesium, have been proposed to replace denser materials, such as steel in the automotive industry, they exhibit low strength. Nano-sized ceramic particles can be incorporated into light metals to modify the physical properties of established materials in a huge variety of automotive components.

"These nano-composite materials save weight and offer greater performance whilst contributing to the fuel efficiency and reducing green house gases released into the atmosphere."

Kandemir is supervised by an internationally renowned engineer, Head of the Mechanics of Materials Group in the Department of Engineering, Professor Helen Atkinson FREng, who commented: "Nanocomposites are fascinating materials with potentially excellent properties. I am very much looking forward to the overall results of the project."