Scientists have proven, for the primary time, that borophene — an extremely-skinny, two-dimensional nanomaterial — can be utilized as an efficient additive to enhance the efficiency of castor oil as a lubricant. The discovery might assist develop greener lubricants for industries resembling renewable vitality, marine transport and sustainable manufacturing.
Researchers on the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, discovered that including a tiny quantity of borophene — 0.1 per cent by weight — to castor oil can considerably enhance its efficiency. The modified oil lowered friction by about 42 per cent, in contrast with strange castor oil.
The analysis was carried out beneath the steerage of Prof Devasish Chowdhury, with INSPIRE senior analysis fellow Ujjibit Boruah as the primary writer. The findings might result in the event of atmosphere pleasant lubricants that make machines run extra effectively, cut back injury and decrease vitality consumption.
“Two-dimensional materials have attracted huge interest because of their unique properties. Borophene, in particular, has shown promise in areas such as batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells. However, its use as a lubricant additive had not been explored until now,” mentioned Prof Chowdhury.
The researchers discovered that borophene mixes evenly with castor oil while not having any chemical therapy. When the lubricant is used inside machines, the borophene particles assist kind a skinny protecting layer, referred to as tribofilm, on steel surfaces. This layer comprises iron oxides, carbon-primarily based compounds and boron compounds. It reduces friction between shifting surfaces, permits machines to deal with greater hundreds and protects towards put on.
Next-gen battery electrode
Researchers in India have developed a brand new natural electrode materials that might assist speed up the event of sodium-ion batteries, a promising various to lithium-ion batteries for largescale vitality storage.
As demand for batteries grows for electrical automobiles, renewable vitality storage and digital units, researchers worldwide are searching for alternate options to lithium, which faces challenges associated to price, provide chains and useful resource availability. Sodium, in distinction, is extensively obtainable, making sodium-ion batteries a horny choice.
A joint group from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) and SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Kolkata, has developed a brand new covalent natural framework (COF) materials that may retailer sodium ions effectively.
The group, led by Dr Urmimala Maitra of IACS and Dr Pradip Pachfule of SNBNCBS, designed the porous natural materials to permit charged ions to maneuver simply whereas sustaining structural stability throughout repeated charging and discharging.
When examined in battery cells, the fabric demonstrated good vitality storage efficiency and its skill to work as an electrode for sodium-ion batteries. The materials additionally performs nicely in lithium-ion batteries, enabling speedy charging, with the laboratory cell reaching 80 per cent cost in simply over one minute.
The materials’s porous construction supplies pathways by means of which ions can journey shortly, whereas its secure chemical framework helps stop degradation throughout biking. This mixture of speedy ion transport and sturdiness is a key problem in designing subsequent-technology battery electrodes.
The examine highlights how molecular-degree design of natural supplies can assist overcome a number of the limitations of sodium-ion batteries, which at present lag lithium-ion batteries in vitality density and business maturity.
Published on July 27, 2026