US Patent 7998572 - Self-lubricating nanocoatings

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7998572.html

This patent from Caterpillar teaches a way to reduce the aging effects of friction on moving parts of machines by using a nanoparticle coating. Claim 1 reads:

1. A machine component, comprising:

a substrate; and

a coating on at least a portion of the substrate, the coating including:

a base material;

nanoparticles of a lubricant material; and

a non-metallic shell surrounding the nanoparticles of the lubricant material, the shell being composed of a material different than the lubricant material.