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MEAM Seminar: “Controlling Friction and Wear via Engineered Surfaces and Advanced Nanomaterials”
October 21, 2025 at 10:15 AM - 11:15 AM
Friction and wear of moving components across various industries result in reliability issues, enormous energy losses, and environmental problems. These problems originate from the complex interactions between micro- and nanoscale asperities at the contacting surfaces. Such tribological challenges can be addressed via surface engineering, inspired by biological species that control friction very efficiently, combined with the incorporation of advanced nanomaterials at the sliding interfaces. Nanomaterials, such as two-dimensional (2D) materials and nanoparticles, have tremendous potential for such applications due to their unique physical and chemical properties and their ability to be incorporated as ultrathin protective surface coatings or nanoadditives in a liquid environment.
I will discuss studies on 2D materials and nanoparticles for various tribological systems, from demonstrating superlubric, ultra-scratch-resistant transparent glass surfaces to achieving enhanced frictional anisotropy via bioinspired patterned surfaces combined with 2D materials. I will also discuss tribological behaviour of nanoparticle-based additives for next-generation liquid-based lubricant formulations, where different types of nanoparticles as hybrid nanoadditives can significantly reduce friction and wear in lubricated sliding contacts.
Nitya Nand Gosvami
Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Dr. Gosvami completed his B.Tech. with Honours in Metallurgical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University (India) in 2003 and his Ph.D. at the National University of Singapore in 2008. During 2008-2016, he worked for various postdoctoral and scientist positions across Germany, the UK, and the USA before joining the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) in 2016, where he is currently working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. His research is focused on studying the mechanical and nanotribological behavior of engineering alloys and nanomaterials, disordered systems, bio-inspired nano-patterned surfaces, and tribochemical processes at the liquid-solid and solid-solid interfaces. Dr. Gosvami has numerous publications and patents to his credit and has delivered several invited lectures in reputed international conferences and workshops. He is also a recipient of prestigious international fellowships, including Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (2008-2010, Germany), and is currently visiting Prof. Robert Carpick’s group at UPenn as a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellow (2025-2026).