SBIR-STTR Award

Grease is found in a variety of applications ranging from electronics to general mechanical equipment as well as vehicles. These greases are designed to serve a specific purpose. Carbon and other nanomaterials, when matched to based oils based upon their chemistry can lead to a dramatic performance in many of these applications. A key part of our innovation and intellectual property that makes this technology possible is that of the introduction of both carbon nanotubes and hydrogen bonding. The innovators have developed a technique to utilize functionalized carbon nanotubes in order to maximize their interactions with the base fluids that form the grease. The hydrogen bonding creates a pathway that increases electrical conductivity of the bulk material. Normally it is very difficult to take advantage of the superior properties of individual carbon nanotubes as the junctions/gap between tubes is often so large that it creates a barrier that defeats the many advantages of carbon nanotubes. The addition of functional groups such as hydroxyl groups can bridge this gap between tubes and overcome this gap/barrier. It also allows for a bonding with the solvents and base fluids. Another part of this is that once we have dispersed the functionalized nanotubes in the grease base fluids, it is a stable solution that can be applied to the customers equipment as needed. Novel Nano Grease tribology testing revealed a 30% decrease in friction when compared to conventional greases. Wear testing revealed a performance increase of 60% compared to conventional greases. Novel Nano Grease has been prepared with thermal conductivity enhancements over the base fluid up to 545.9%. A commercially available thermal silicone heat transfer compound from MG Chemicals showed thermal conductivity enhancements up to 143.3% with our novel addition of carbon nanomaterials. In many cases the viscosity of the greases is not significantly changed. Generally, grease is not electrically conductive. In applications that benefit from electrical conductivity the chemistry of the grease constituents may be matched in order to achieve the required conductivity. Our proprietary technology utilizes functionalized carbon nanotubes along with other ingredients that are capable of hydrogen bonding, thus providing a conductive path. Grease has been prepared with resistivity as low as 10.0 ?cm

The unexpected improvement in thermal conductivity of thermal grease has been further developed and improved upon. The objective of this program is to develop and commercialize a grease that will increase device and equipment performance by better matching grease properties with the application. It was found that the most value can be provided through the development of a thermal grease for avionics equipment Line Replaceable Units (LRUs). Thermal conductivity and CPU test bench data have showed great promise that our novel nano technology will increase avionics performance and lifetime. Carbon and other nanomaterials, when matched to based oils based upon their chemistry can lead to a dramatic performance in many of these applications. A Key objective is to determine at what ratio of nano materials, base fluid, etc. provides the best performance to cost benefit for the Air Force. We will partner with the Air Force to determine their requirements for specific grease applications. Another key objective is to provide a grease that is ready for purchase and use by the Air Force on weapons systems, support equipment, and other DoD platforms as well as commercial customers. The low density of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and high-performance thermal management performance, pave the way to manufacture a grad cost-effective thermal grease that can compete commercially in today’s global market. CNTs grease with high thermal conductivity not only can work as a lubricant that fills the gap between parts to reduce wear and friction. But also, can be used between the solid surface to generate a thermal connection between the heat-generating parts and heat sinks to increase the heat transfer efficacy Novel Nano Grease tribology testing revealed a 30% decrease in friction when compared to conventional greases. Wear testing revealed a performance increase of 60% compared to conventional greases. Novel Nano Grease has been prepared with thermal conductivity enhancements over the base fluid up to 545.9%. In addition, the CNTs used to make the stable grease has decreased from 12 wt% to 3-4wt%, which reflects significantly on the grease manufacturing cost. A commercially available thermal silicone heat transfer compound from MG Chemicals showed thermal conductivity enhancements up to 143.3% with our novel addition of carbon nanomaterials. In applications that benefit from electrical conductivity the chemistry of the grease constituents may be matched in order to achieve the required conductivity.