No Arabic abstract
The structure and motion of carbon and h-BN nanotubes (NTs) deposited on graphene is inquired theoretically by simulations based on state-of-the-art interatomic force fields. Results show that any typical cylinder-over-surface approximation is essentially inaccurate. NTs tend to flatten at the interface with the substrate and upon driving they can either roll or slide depending on their size and on their relative orientation with the substrate. In the epitaxially aligned orientation we find that rolling is always the main mechanism of motion, producing a kinetic friction linearly growing with the number of walls, in turn causing an unprecedented supra-linear scaling with the contact area. A 30 degrees misalignment raises superlubric effects, making sliding favorable against rolling. The resulting rolling-to-sliding transition in misaligned NTs is explained in terms of the faceting appearing in large multi-wall tubes, which is responsible for the increased rotational stiffness. Modifying the geometrical conditions provides an additional means of drastically tailoring the frictional properties in this unique tribological system.
The friction between the walls of multi-wall carbon nanotubes is shown to be extremely low in general, with important details related to the specific choice of the walls. This is governed by a simple expression revealing that the phenomenon is a profound consequence of the specific symmetry breaking: super-slippery sliding of the incommensurate walls is a Goldstone mode. Three universal principles of tribology, offering a recipe for the lubricant selection are emphasized.
Variable power transmission in mechanical systems is often achieved by devices, e.g., clutches and brakes, that use dry friction. In these systems, the variability in power transmission is brought about by engaging and disengaging the friction plates. Though commonly used, this method of making the coupling noisy is not as versatile as their electrical analog. An alternative method would be to intermittently vary the frictional force. In this paper, we demonstrate a self-organized way to tune the noise in the frictional coupling between two surfaces which are in relative motion with each other. This is achieved by exploiting the complexity that arises from the frictional interaction of the balls which are placed in a circular groove between the surfaces. The extent of floppiness in the coupling is related to the rate at which the balls make transitions between their rolling and sliding states. If the moving surface is soft and the static surface is hard we show that with increasing filling fraction of the balls the transitions between rolling and sliding against the static surface give way to the transitions between rolling and sliding against the moving surface. As a consequence, the noise in the coupling is large for both small and large filling fraction with a dip in the middle. In contrast, the sliding with the static surface is suppressed if the moving pate is hard and the noise in the coupling decreases monotonically with the filling fraction of the balls.
The static friction preventing the free sliding of nanosized rare gas solid islands physisorbed on incommensurate crystalline surfaces is not completely understood. Simulations modeled on Kr/Pb(111) highlights the importance and the scaling behavior of the islands edge contribution to static friction.
An atom moving in a vacuum at constant velocity and parallel to a surface experiences a frictional force induced by the dissipative interaction with the quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. We show that the combination of nonequilibrium dynamics, anomalous Doppler effect and spin-momentum locking of light mediates an intriguing interplay between the atoms translational and rotational motion. In turn, this deeply affects the drag force in a way that is reminiscent of classical rolling friction. Our fully non-Markovian and nonequilibrium description reveals counterintuitive features characterizing the atoms velocity-dependent rotational dynamics. These results prompt interesting directions for tuning the interaction and for investigating nonequilibrium dynamics as well as the properties of confined light.
Markov State Modeling has recently emerged as a key technique for analyzing rare events in thermal equilibrium molecular simulations and finding metastable states. Here we export this technique to the study of friction, where strongly non-equilibrium events are induced by an external force. The approach is benchmarked on the well-studied Frenkel-Kontorova model, where we demonstrate the unprejudiced identification of the minimal basis microscopic states necessary for describing sliding, stick-slip and dissipation. The steps necessary for the application to realistic frictional systems are highlighted.