Nanostructured functional polymers for engine oil quality sensors

Polymers have been nanostructured by molecular imprinting to yield functional materials for detecting engine oil degradation. Using both fresh and waste oils as templates, respectively, allows us to selectively tune the polymer to incorporate either fresh or used lubricant. The resulting signals are clearly correlated both to the oil age (known from test stand measurements) and standard oil parameters such as the total base number (TBN).