ROMA – Someday in the near future, some dyes in electric motors may indicate when the powertrain needs to be replaced. This is supported by scientists from the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (Mlu), who together with Elantas, a division of the Altana special chemicals group, have developed a system that allows for the direct integration of dyes into the insulation of the wires. of copper electric motors. If the color changes, it means that the layer of insulating resin around the copper wires has deteriorated, and that the motor needs to be replaced. After all, traditional thermal engines (those of petrol or diesel cars) have long been equipped with detectors that recognize, for example, when an oil change is necessary. So why wonder?
“This isolation changes over time,” explains Professor Wolfgang Binder of the Mlu Institute of Chemistry. “It deteriorates due to both heat and chemical processes.” However, there is a problem: it is not possible to tell from the outside whether the insulation around the internal wires is still intact or whether the entire motor needs to be replaced. “Until now, developers have only focused on the state of degradation of the material under specific conditions,” explains Alexander Funtan, a chemist at Mlu, who analyzed four different resin systems to solve the problem, so that he could understand which by-products are formed due to their deterioration at different temperatures.
Funtan found that the four resin systems released a specific alcohol. “We then worked closely with Elantas researchers and developers to find a sensor molecule for this alcohol.” Translated: that is, a substance was needed whose properties changed the moment it came into contact with alcohol, capable of resisting high temperatures and above all capable of not modifying the electrochemical properties of the insulation. The choice fell on an orange color, which becomes light green. “In this way – concludes Binder – it is possible to see if a replacement is necessary without having to open the engine”. (fp)
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