Lateral vibration effects in atomic-scale friction
- Climate and Environment Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Bern (Switzerland)
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada and Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón, CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza (Spain)
- Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, 4056 Basel (Switzerland)
- Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados en Nanociencia, IMDEA Nanociencia, 28049 Madrid (Spain)
The influence of lateral vibrations on the stick-slip motion of a nanotip elastically pulled on a flat crystal surface is studied by atomic force microscopy measurements on a NaCl(001) surface in ultra-high vacuum. The slippage of the nanotip across the crystal lattice is anticipated at increasing driving amplitude, similarly to what is observed in presence of normal vibrations. This lowers the average friction force, as explained by the Prandtl-Tomlinson model with lateral vibrations superimposed at finite temperature. Nevertheless, the peak values of the lateral force, and the total energy losses, are expected to increase with the excitation amplitude, which may limit the practical relevance of this effect.
- OSTI ID:
- 22293108
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 104, Issue 8; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A Peierls perspective on mechanisms of atomic friction
A Peierls Perspective on Mechanisms of Atomic Friction