Principles of atomic friction: from sticking atoms to superlubric sliding

Abstract

Tribology—the science of friction, wear and lubrication—is of great importance for all technical applications where moving bodies are in contact. Nonetheless, little progress has been made in finding an exact atomistic description of friction since Amontons proposed his empirical macroscopic laws over three centuries ago. The advent of new experimental tools such as the friction force microscope, however, enabled the investigation of frictional forces occurring at well-defined contacts down to the atomic scale. This research field has been established as nanotribology. In the present article, we review our current understanding of the principles of atomic-scale friction based on recent experiments using friction force microscopy.