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Lubricated friction around nano-defects

Cafolla, C.; Foster, W.; Voïtchovsky, K

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Authors

Dr Miro Cafolla clodomiro.cafolla@durham.ac.uk
Addison Wheeler Research Fellow

W. Foster



Abstract

The lubrication properties of nano-confined liquids underpin countless natural and industrial processes. However, our current understanding of lubricated friction is still limited, especially for non-ideal interfaces exhibiting nanoscale chemical and topographical defects. Here, we use Atomic Force Microscopy to explore the equilibrium and dynamical behavior of a model lubricant, squalane, confined between a diamond tip and graphite in the vicinity of an atomic step. We combine high-resolution imaging of the interface with highly localized shear measurements at different velocities and temperatures to derive a quantitative picture of the lubricated friction around surface defects. We show that defectstend to promote local molecular order and increase friction forces by reducing the number of stable molecular configurations in their immediate vicinity. The effect is general, can propagate over hundreds of nanometers, and can be quantitatively described by a semi-empirical model that bridges the molecular details and mesoscale observations.

Citation

Cafolla, C., Foster, W., & Voïtchovsky, K. (2020). Lubricated friction around nano-defects. Science Advances, 6(14), Article eaaz3673. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz3673

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 8, 2020
Online Publication Date Apr 3, 2020
Publication Date Apr 1, 2020
Deposit Date Feb 3, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Science Advances
Publisher American Association for the Advancement of Science
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 6
Issue 14
Article Number eaaz3673
DOI https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz3673

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S.Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY).





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