be added to base oils or used as conventional additives in finished lubricants. These elements are described as nanomaterials.

Benefits to the application of nanoenabled additives in economic and environmental terms are lower load ratios, lower friction and wear, lower emission of toxic substances, lower fuel consumption, lower noise and lower smoke.

Nanomaterials were originally developed for lubricants to be used primarily in weapons technology. One of the oldest and most common nanomaterials in commerce today is carbon black, although the availability of other nanomaterials has expanded to include ceramics, photonics, carbons and metals, owing to recent advances in production techniques over the past two decades.

The enduring problems with nanotechnology and base oils has been the transition from bench tested blends, where controlled introduction of the particles to base oils has been extremely successful in concocting high quality and extreme performance lubricants. Development of the large-scale industrial processes required to produce large quantities of lubricants for the general marketplace has been more problematic.

Another negative to the use of these additives has been that lubricant blenders have had difficulty funding the OEM approval process. Also the transition from more recent nanotechnology research and development has not yet led to sustainable commercial uptake, largely due to the commercial infancy of the nanomaterials supplier base, problems with process technology and slow progress toward the development of a market.

The global lubricant industry cannot be expected to adopt a wider use of nanomaterials without a proven cost and profit benefit. Therefore, commercial emphasis to date has tended to focus on increasing the functionality of lubricants using nanotechnology. The goal of this effort would be to enhance product offerings and, by definition, profitability.

The nanoindustry is best understood as emerging, as opposed to established, and based on a cluster of small-to-medium-size producers. Unfortunately, the commercial prospects of nanotechnology have been undermined by the over-use of the term nano as a ploy to gain a marketing edge. Add to this the virtual army of consultants seeking to profit from concerns about health and safety issues by developing industry reports based on hypothetical market projections.

The lack of distinct regulations in the supply and use of nanomaterials remains another obstacle, although consistent efforts are evolving at official levels to structure effective and more specific nanoregulation. Additionally, industry concern over the toxicology of nanomaterials adds a further barrier to progress.

Another factor undermining confidence in nanotechnology is the lack of proven compliance with standard commercial protocols such as REACH and Substance Information Exchange Forums. Such compliance warrants a collaborative, rather than individual, approach given the cost burden.

Increased use of nanomaterials across the lubricant industry may develop from the adoption of nanoscale metals. This area has largely escaped the notice of most lubricant refiners and blenders. It has long been known that micron powders of nanoscale metals and compounds improve antiwear and extreme pressure properties. They also often improve thermal and antimicrobial properties of lubricants. However, the common and unsolved problem remains the preparation of stable dispersions.

Proposed next-generation oil additives using nanocopper have been demonstrated to create stable solutions with lubricating oils. Consequently, they do not precipitate out on filters or create heat insulating layers. This contrasts with additives containing micrometer-size particles.

With producers of these materials continuously improving nanotechnology, the future looks promising for the development of new and exciting applications, either in the production of base oils or more likely in the use of nanomaterials as additives in finished lubricants.

To help establish the nanomaterials market on a broader scale, with regulation and clarity of pricing, a unit within a U.K.-based exchange has set up a platform to control and regulate nanotechnology in the lubricants industry. INSCX has taken on the challenge of promoting nanotechnology to the lubricants sector and has established trials with a number of nanoproducers and lubricant blenders to support this effort. More information on this work can be found at inscx.com.