Abstract
Structural superlubricity, a state of ultralow friction and wear between crystalline surfaces, is a fundamental phenomenon in modern tribology that defines a new approach to lubrication. Early measurements involved nanometre-scale contacts between layered materials, but recent experimental advances have extended its applicability to the micrometre scale. This is an important step towards practical utilization of structural superlubricity in future technological applications, such as durable nano- and micro-electromechanical devices, hard drives, mobile frictionless connectors, and mechanical bearings operating under extreme conditions. Here we provide an overview of the field, including its birth and main achievements, the current state of the art and the challenges to fulfilling its potential.
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Acknowledgements
O.H. is grateful to the Israel Science Foundation (grant no. 1586/17), the Lise-Meitner Minerva Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at Tel-Aviv University, and The Naomi Foundation for their financial support. E.M. acknowledges support from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and COST Action MP1303. Q.Z. acknowledges financial support from NSFC (grant no. 11227202, 1147215), the National Basic Research Program of China (grant nos 2013CB934200 and 2010CB631005), SRFDP (grant no. 20130002110043), and the Cyrus Tang Foundation. M.U. acknowledges financial support from the Israel Science Foundation (grant no. 1141/18), COST Action MP1303, and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at Tel-Aviv University. We thank E. Koren and A. Erdemir for sharing high-resolution versions of Fig. 3b and d, respectively.
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O.H., E.M., Q.Z. and M.U. conceived the idea of writing this Perspective, devised its general structure, designed the figures, and contributed to the writing.
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Hod, O., Meyer, E., Zheng, Q. et al. Structural superlubricity and ultralow friction across the length scales. Nature 563, 485–492 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0704-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0704-z
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