How Does Potassium Titanate Save Lives Every Single Day?
Titanates, even by the standard of other industrial materials, are fascinating for the unique properties they have and what they are capable of facilitating. However, potassium titanate somehow manages to take this a step further.
Whilst strontium titanate is a beautiful diamond substitute invented before it was naturally discovered and barium titanate became a common material in crystal microphones, potassium titanate helps to save lives in one of the most dangerous environments we experience every day.
Unless you live in a rural area, everyone from drivers and passengers to pedestrians interact with roads, and given how quickly cars travel along them, it is not surprising that they can be one of the most dangerous environments people interact with on a regular basis.
One of the most important tools to help reduce this danger is the brake pad, a pair of pads made from a material designed to generate friction when pressed against a spinning brake disk, which helps to slow down and stop a vehicle.
The brake pad is used every single time someone drives a vehicle, often on multiple occasions, to the point that many people do not appreciate just how important it is.
There are a lot of different materials that can be used to make brake pads, but one potential technology that has seen increased interest is granular potassium titanate, which has promising frictional qualities and could potentially boost braking performance.
This is not entirely a new discovery, with the first patent for making brake pads using potassium titanate published in China in 2010.
The patent description highlights the huge advantage of using the material, as it absorbs heat energy and provides a high level of friction, both qualities essential in effective braking.
Brakes that are too hot are less effective, and less friction means less braking force, so a titanate is helping in a very real way to save lives.
