{"id":394,"date":"2015-03-27T11:20:48","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T15:20:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intranet.chemservice.com\/news\/2015\/03\/the-chemistry-that-keeps-your-pistons-pumping\/"},"modified":"2015-03-27T11:20:48","modified_gmt":"2015-03-27T15:20:48","slug":"the-chemistry-that-keeps-your-pistons-pumping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intranet.chemservice.com\/news\/the-chemistry-that-keeps-your-pistons-pumping\/","title":{"rendered":"The chemistry that keeps your pistons pumping"},"content":{"rendered":"

As of 2014, there are about 250 million cars and trucks in the U.S.<\/a>, according to the Los Angeles Times. Each one of these millions of vehicles has an engine that contains pistons pumping thousands of times each minute. To keep each of these cars moving, those pistons pumping and millions of people getting where they need to go, the engine needs to be lubricated and protected from wear and tear. <\/p>\n

In the 1940s, oil engineers accidently discovered zinc dialkyldithiophosphate or ZDDP. When added to motor oil, it adheres to the surrounding surfaces, protecting them from rust and other normal wear. However, the chemistry behind why ZDDP turns into the tribofilm that coats these engine surfaces has long been kept unknown, until now. <\/p>\n

ZDDP in the right environment<\/strong>
\nScientists from ExxonMobil and the University of Pennsylvania came together to research the chemistry and physics behind popular oil additives. They published their results<\/a> in the journal Science. <\/p>\n

"ZDDP has been used for more than 70 years," said Nitya Gosvami a research project manager in mechanical engineering department head Robert Carpick's in a statement. "It's one of the most successful antiwear additives we have, but we still don't understand how it works. We do know that everything that happens during sliding is occurring on the first few atomic layers of the surfaces, so we have to use the knowledge we have from nanotechnology and apply it to understand what's going on there."<\/p>\n

Aside from knowledge, the scientists wanted to learn more about how ZDDP worked in order to make engines and oils more effective and efficient, getting rid of minor flaws, such as ZDDP's increase of friction in the engine. <\/p>\n

The researchers discovered that ZDDP is a smart material that forms under stress or pressure. It's smart because it stops itself from growing larger than the space allows. The pistons create the perfect environment for the film to develop because the pressure changes the amount of energy needed for a chemical reaction to occur, Carpick explained in the statement. <\/p>\n

The researchers credited tribochemistry and the nanoscale research approach for finding the answers about how the film forms and why ZDDP has been so effective. <\/p>\n

"Nanotechnology's not just for doing cool science," Gosvami said. "You can bring your industrial products into the lab and we can do research on them in a big way. We can get a better understanding of them on the molecular scale."<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

The chemistry of motor oil <\/strong>
\nThe researchers explained in their paper that they hope to build off this finding and continue the work to develop smarter oils for cars. Currently motor oil is made with a number of naturally occurring and added chemical components. <\/p>\n

As Bob Is The Oil Guy explained, oil is made with a slew of chemicals that fit into a short list of chemical categories. For example, organomatalics are used as detergents to neutralize acids that are created through normal engine combustion. Similarly, dispersants are a category of chemicals that help clean out the solid parts of waste from combustion. Esters and partial esters are used to aid lubrication as well as seal conditioners.<\/p>\n

Many chemical additives are designed to stop reaction from occurring. Silicone products help prevent foam buildup, while pour point depressants and corrosion inhibitors help stop rust, wear and wax crystals. <\/p>\n

There are also huge polymeric molecules that form Viscosity Index Improvers or VII to control the rate at which organic fluids thin when heated, Bob Is The Oil Guy explained.<\/p>\n

The types of chemicals used depend on brand, price and purpose among other factors. There are also synthetic motor oils that mimic the affects of organic motor oil and last much longer. <\/p>\n