Nanotech Embraced

Ford Motor Co., The Boeing Co. and Northwestern University are linking up to research and develop commercial applications for nanotechnology, which the auto maker says could lead to advancements in hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Nanotechnology is the branch of molecular-level engineering that deals with things smaller than 100 nanometers. Applications exist in automobiles today, including in catalytic converters and paint, Ford says.

Announcement of the partnership came in early October in Evanston, IL, where Ford cut the ribbon on its new $30 million Engineering Design Center on the campus of Northwestern University.

The center was funded via a $10 million grant from Ford, ITW-Illinois Tool Works Inc., Deere & Co., 3M and Steelcase Inc. and will be home to a 2-quarter educational track that provides first-year students with hands-on design training.

Anne Stevens, Ford executive vice president and chief operating officer — The Americas, says the new center “really, truly is a green facility.” It features a living roof, similar to the one at the new F-series plant in Dearborn, MI, that supports plant life and plays a role in the control and reuse of water at the facility.

The nanotechnology collaboration, to be finalized later this month, is expected to “pave the way for future advancements in transportation,” Stevens says. Among projects, the center will look for ways nanotechnology can contribute to future alternative powertrains.

“The greatest impact will be development and design of alternate powertrains, hybrid vehicles, boosting power in hybrid batteries (but) in less space and (with) less weight,” Stevens says. “Nanotechnology could be used to develop higher capacity for hydrogen storage, one of the restraints of hydrogen-vehicle technology today.”

The most near-term potential is for use in coatings, she says. Ford already employs nanotechnology to improve the paint on its Ford GT supercar, making it more durable and dent and chip resistant, officials say.

“That will spread across other vehicles in our lineup in the not-too-distant future,” Stevens says, declining to be more specific.

Incorporating nanotechnology into the development of composites also may have nearer-term possibilities, Ford officials say. Boeing is using nanocomposites for much of the fuselage of its 787 jets, Ford says. But for now, the material isn't cost-competitive vs. traditional body panel materials used by the auto industry.

Ford says it has close to 10 researchers working on nanotechnology, and it has one scientist in place at the new Northwestern center as part of the 3-way collaboration. Ultimately, Stevens says, there could be 15-20 researchers involved in the project.

Although the initial focus of the joint research will be nanontechnology, Ford says the collaboration could branch into specialty metals, thermal materials, coatings and sensors.

Ford and Boeing have been working together on research for the past 10 years, and the auto maker has had a relationship with Northwestern for more than 30 years.