Liquid crystals are known for their use in devices such as LCD TV screens and touchscreen mobile phones. Using the substance as a lubricant was proposed by Nematel, which turned to Fraunhofer IWM to see if the idea was possible. The Institute not only discovered that the idea worked, it also realised the frictional resistance accompanying this creation was extremely low.
Liquid crystal is well suited for lubricants because its molecules are long and thin. Although it is a liquid, the molecules display directional properties in the same manner as crystals: when two surfaces move in opposite directions, the liquid crystal molecules between the two surfaces align themselves to produce very low friction, and wear, levels.
As a result of the pioneering work, Dr Tobias Amann, Dr Andreas Kailer, Susanne Beyer-Faiß, Werner Stehr and Dr Holger Kretzschmann received the Stifterverband Science Prize, which is awarded every two years for scientific excellence in applied research projects.
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