Load and Stiffness Dependence of Atomistic Sliding Friction

Abstract

Despite numerous researches on atomic-scale friction have been carried out for understanding the origin of friction, lots of questions about sliding friction still remain. It is known that friction at atomic-scale always shows unique phenomena called 'stick-slips' which reflect atomic lattice of a scanned surface. In this work, experimental study on the effects of system stiffnesses and load on the atomic-scale stick-slip friction of graphite was performed by using an Atomic Force Microscope and various cantilevers/tips. The objective of this research is to figure out the dependency of atomic-scale friction on the nanomechanical properties in sliding contact such as load, stiffness and contact materials systematically. From this work, the experimental observation of transitions in atomic-scale friction from smooth sliding to multiple stick-slips in air was first made, according to the lateral cantilever stiffness and applied normal load. The superlubricity of graphite could be verified from friction vs. load experiments. Based on the results, the relationship between the stickslip behaviors and contact stiffness was carefully discussed in this work. The results or this work indicate that the atomic-scale stick-slip behaviors can be controlled by adjusting the system stiffnesses and contact materials.