Using An Atomic Force Microscope to Model a Car Engine (IMAGE)

University of Pennsylvania

Using An Atomic Force Microscope to Model a Car Engine

Caption

Motor oil contains chemical additives that extend how long engines can run without failure, but, despite decades of ubiquity, how such additives actually work to prevent this damage have remained a mystery. Now, engineers from the University of Pennsylvania and ExxonMobil have teamed up to answer this question. In their experiments, the tip of an atomic force microscope stands in for an individual point of roughness on engine surfaces. The tip also provides data on the amount of force necessary to break the additive down into a film that protects the surfaces.

Credit

Felice Macera

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