Erdemir is a renowned scholar whose leadership and scientific discoveries have had major impacts on tribology, surface engineering, materials science and mechanical engineering fields. Erdemir’s current research focuses on bridging scientific principles with engineering innovations towards the development of new materials, coatings, and lubricants for a broad range of cross-cutting applications in manufacturing, transportation (including E-mobility) and other energy conversion and utilization systems where further increases in efficiency, reliability, and environmental sustainability are of primary objectives. His group specifically strives to unravel key/underlying mechanisms that control friction, wear and lubrication at the most fundamental levels and develop more advanced surface technologies and lubricant chemistries providing superlubricity and/or super high-hardness as well as extreme resistance to wear, corrosion, fatigue and other types of degradations under harsh operational and environmental conditions. In one of our latest activities with our team members, we upcycle plastic wastes into lubricating oils in a green and continuously recyclable manner and hence reduce their adverse environmental impacts; in another, we design and manufacture new materials, coatings, and lubricants for safety, efficiency, and reliability in electric vehicle applications.
