Lighter, tougher materials for large fuel savings

Beskrivelse

The EU-funded NANOTOUGH project created and optimised a new range of polymeric materials, that could be used as alternatives to heavier and more expensive conventional metals. In particular, the project team produced prototypes such as an automotive bumper, which uses the new hybrid nano-reinforced materials and weighs only 40% of a conventional bumper. The advantages are clear. “If we can achieve a saving of 100kg in a car, we can reduce fuel by 5 to 15%. It is very attractive to introduce lighter materials,” explains the project coordinator, Prof Jesper de Claville Christiansen from Aalborg University, Denmark.