Abstract
With the rapid development of industry, the inconsistency between the rapid increase in energy consumption and the shortage of resources is becoming significant. Friction is one of the main causes of energy consumption; thus, the emergence of superlubricity technology can substantially improve the energy efficiency in motion systems. In this study, an efficient method to control superlubricity at the atomic-scale is proposed. The method employs vibrational excitation, which is called vibration induced superlubricity (VIS). The VIS can be easily and steadily achieved by employing external vibration in three directions. The simple method does not depend on the type of sample and conductivity. Dependence of oscillation amplitude, frequency, scanning speed, and normal force (FN)on friction were investigated. Experimental and simulated explorations verified the practical approach for reducing energy dissipation and achieving superlubricity at the atomic-scale.
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Acknowledgements
This study is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51527901 and 51375255). We appreciate Bruker Icon for the sample of HOPG, engineers from Bruker Icon for the helpful discussion, and Weiqi WANG for the help with AFM.
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Shuai SHI. He obtained his B.E. degree from Northeastern University in 2011, and received his M.E. degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2014. In 2018, he received his Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University, China. He is working at State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, as well at China Fortune Land Development Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. for postdoctoral research. His research interests include vibration induced superlubricity and energy dissipation at the micro/nano scale.
Dan GUO. She received the M.S. degree in engineering mechanics in 1995 from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China and Ph.D. degree in engineering mechanics in 1999 from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. She joined the State Key Laboratory of Tribology at Tsinghua University from 1999. Her current position is a professor and the deputy director of the laboratory. Her research areas cover the properties of friction at the micro/nano-scale, mechanism of interaction among nanoparticles and surface in ultra-smooth surface planarization, and the formation and failure of lubricant film in harsh conditions.
Jianbin LUO. He received his B.Eng. degree from Northeastern University in 1982, and got his M.Eng. degree from Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology in 1988. In 1994, he received his Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University and then joined the faculty of Tsinghua University. Prof. Jianbin LUO is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Yangtze River Scholar Distinguished Professor of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He was awarded the STLE International Award (2013), the Chinese National Technology Progress Prize (2008), the Chinese National Natural Science Prize (2018, 2001), and the Chinese National Invention Prize (1996). Prof. LUO has been engaged in the research of thin film lubrication and tribology in nanomanufacturing. He has been invited as a keynote or plenary speaker for 20 times on the international conferences.
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Shi, S., Guo, D. & Luo, J. Micro/atomic-scale vibration induced superlubricity. Friction 9, 1163–1174 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-020-0414-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-020-0414-z