Now live: Innocentive Marketplace. Get shortlisted for funded opportunities today.

Transforming Nitrate Esters into Stable Compounds

26 Submissions
$10,000 USD
Challenge closed

Challenge overview

In order to significantly slow down or stop oxidation of lubricating oils, the Seeker is looking for compounds that can decompose or inactivate nitrate esters without producing free radicals and/or unstable products.

This is an Ideation Challenge with a guaranteed award for at least one submitted solution.

Lubricating oils are important for the automotive industry due to their capabilities in reducing friction between surfaces and minimizing wear. However, the conditions during engine operation are favourable to oxidation and can result in the degradation of lubricating oils and shorten their useful life. This process is associated with the formation of nitrate esters in the lubricant, which then decompose into free radicals that initiate oxidation. Thus, the Seeker is looking for compounds that can decompose or inactivate nitrate esters without producing free radicals and/or unstable products, hence breaking the observed link between nitration and oxidation.  

This is an Ideation Challenge, which has the following unique features:

  • There is a guaranteed award.  The awards will be paid to the best submission(s) as solely determined by the Seeker. The total payout will be $10,000, with at least one award being no smaller than $5,000 and no award being smaller than $1,000.
  • The Solvers are not required to transfer exclusive intellectual property rights to the Seeker.  Rather, by submitting a proposal, the Solver grants to the Seeker a royalty-free, perpetual, and non-exclusive license to use any information included in this proposal, including for promotional purposes.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on May 1, 2019

Late submissions will not be considered.

After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submit a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions; however, no detailed evaluation of individual submissions will be provided.

Use the slider to explore how the Challenge process works:

Register

Review & Accept

Submit

Win

To start solving this Challenge, log in to the Challenge Center or register as a Solver