Atomic-Scale Friction and Microfriction of Graphite and Diamond Using Friction Force Microscopy

Abstract

Friction of graphite and diamond surfaces against a sharp silicon nitride tip was measured using a friction force microscope (FFM). Atomic-scale friction of a freshly cleaved highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) exhibited the same periodicity as that of corresponding topography. However, the peaks in friction and those in corresponding topography profiles were displaced relative to each other. Using Fourier expansion of the interaction potential, we have calculated interatomic forces between the FFM tip and graphite surface. We have shown that the variations in atomic-scale friction and the observed displacement between the peaks in friction and those in corresponding topography can be explained by the variations in interatomic forces in the normal and lateral directions. At large scan sizes (50 nm x 50 nm or larger), the variation of friction for graphite and a single-crystal (IIa) diamond was found to follow the local slope of the sample surface, suggesting that a ratchet mechanism is operative in microscale friction.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 07, 1993
Accession Number
ADA270952

Entities

People

  • Bharat Bhushan
  • Ju-ai Ruan

Organizations

  • Ohio State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atomic Structure
  • Ceramic Materials
  • Charge Density
  • Crystal Structure
  • Crystals
  • First Principles Calculations
  • Friction
  • Gray Scale
  • Laser Beams
  • Measurement
  • Microscopes
  • Microscopy
  • Single Crystals
  • Solid State Physics
  • Subatomic Particles
  • Surface Roughness
  • Two Dimensional

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.
  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).