Lubricant Aging: Characterization using NMR

Lubricants (lubricating oils and greases) are an essential part of mechanical processes, in which friction and heating occur. Lubricants, i.e. oils with additives, prevent damage to bearing components thus maximizing life time. Lubricants age due to multiple stress factors, and require replacement from time to time. Complementing established analytics, NMR with its various facets is a powerful tool to quantitatively characterize this class of materials.