How can a pinch of an exotic material make cooking-grade oil slipperier? Indian scientists added a tiny amount of borophene to castor oil. Friction fell by about 42%. No one had tried borophene as a lubricant additive before.
Contents
What did the scientists show?
A team at IASST Guwahati used borophene as an additive in castor oil. The Press Information Bureau reported it on 22 July 2026.
What are the key facts?
- The additive amount was just 0.1 wt.% (weight percent).
- Friction fell by about 42% compared with pure castor oil.
- This is the first demonstration of borophene as a lubricant additive.
- IASST is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
What is the memory hook?
Think “0.1 in, 42 off”. A tiny dose, a big drop.
Sources: PIB release, 22 July 2026.
What is borophene?
Borophene is a two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial made of boron atoms. A 2D sheet is one atom thick.
What do we know about it?
- Scientists first made borophene on silver surfaces in 2015.
- They worked in ultrahigh vacuum.
- Theory had predicted such boron sheets earlier.
- Unlike bulk boron, borophene shows metallic character.
- Before this study it was studied for batteries, supercapacitors and fuel cells.
What is the memory hook?
Think “boron, not carbon”. Graphene is carbon. Borophene is boron.
Sources: Science paper on borophene synthesis (PMC copy); ScienceDaily on the 2015 result; PIB, earlier uses of borophene.
Why was castor oil used?
Castor oil is a renewable and biodegradable lubricant. Its performance alone is limited.
What does the additive fix?
- Friction and wear waste energy and damage equipment.
- A good additive can improve castor oil’s performance.
- The aim is an environmentally friendly lubricant.
- Such lubricants could cut wear and tear and lower energy use.
What is the memory hook?
Think “green base, smart additive”. Castor oil is the green part.
Sources: PIB, castor oil and friction.
How does such a tiny dose work?
The researchers found that borophene spreads evenly in castor oil. No chemical modification is needed.
What forms during use?
- A durable protective layer called a tribofilm forms.
- It contains iron oxides, carbonaceous species and boron-based compounds.
- It reduces shear stress.
- It raises load-bearing capacity.
- It reduces wear.
What is the memory hook?
Think “disperse, film, protect”. Three steps.
Sources: PIB, how the tribofilm works.
Who did the work, and where was it published?
The work was done at IASST in Guwahati, Assam.
Who and what?
- Prof. Devasish Chowdhury guided the research.
- Ujjibit Boruah, an INSPIRE Senior Research Fellow, is the first author.
- The paper appeared in ACS Applied Engineering Materials.
- PIB gave the DOI as 10.1021/acsaenm.6c00540.
What is the memory hook?
Think “Chowdhury guides, Boruah leads the paper”.
Sources: PIB, team and journal.
Where could this be used?
PIB names four areas where the research could help.
What are the applications?
- Renewable energy systems.
- Marine applications.
- Green lubrication technologies.
- Sustainable manufacturing.
What is the memory hook?
Think “energy, marine, green, manufacturing”.
Sources: PIB, applications paragraph.
What are the exam traps?
Four mix-ups come up often.
What are the traps?
- Borophene or graphene? Borophene is boron. Graphene is carbon.
- New material or new use? Borophene dates from 2015. The new part is its use as a lubricant additive.
- Which oil? Castor oil, not a mineral oil.
- Exact numbers. 0.1 wt.% and about 42%.
What is the memory hook?
Think “boron, new use, castor, 0.1 and 42”.
Sources: PIB release, 22 July 2026; Science paper on borophene synthesis (PMC copy).
Check your understanding
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Native Practice
Practise with five questions on borophene, castor oil and the IASST result. Read the connected explanation after each answer.
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