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Scaling Laws of Structural Lubricity

Dirk Dietzel, Michael Feldmann, Udo D. Schwarz, Harald Fuchs, and André Schirmeisen
Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 235502 – Published 2 December 2013
Physics logo See Focus story: Dragging Nanoparticles Reveals Extra-Low Friction
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Abstract

“Structural lubricity” refers to a unique friction state in which two flat surfaces are sliding past each other with ultralow resistance due to incommensurate atomic lattice structures. In this case, theory anticipates sublinear scaling for the area dependence of friction. Here, we experimentally confirm these predictions by measuring the sliding resistance of amorphous antimony and crystalline gold nanoparticles on crystalline graphite. For the amorphous particles a square root relation between friction and contact area is observed. For crystalline gold particles we find a more complex scaling behavior related to variations in particle shape and orientation. These results allow us to link mesoscopic friction to atomic principles.

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  • Received 19 July 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.235502

© 2013 American Physical Society

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Dragging Nanoparticles Reveals Extra-Low Friction

Published 2 December 2013

Experiments demonstrate the breakdown of one of the basic laws of friction at the atomic scale, where more slippery conditions prevail.

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Authors & Affiliations

Dirk Dietzel1, Michael Feldmann1, Udo D. Schwarz2, Harald Fuchs3, and André Schirmeisen1,*

  • 1Institute of Applied Physics (IAP), Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
  • 2Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Center for Research on Innovative Structures and Phenomena (CRISP), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8284, USA
  • 3Physikalisches Institut and Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech), Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany

  • *schirmeisen@uni-giessen.de

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Issue

Vol. 111, Iss. 23 — 6 December 2013

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