Very Low Friction State of a Dodecane Film Confined between Mica Surfaces

Abstract

This article is available in the Physical Review Online Archive (PROLA), which may require a separate subscription.
Full text can be accessed via http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.126103

A. Jabbarzadeh,¹ Peter Harrowell,² and R. I. Tanner¹
¹School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
²School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia

Received 21 September 2004; published 1 April 2005

Theexistence of a very low friction state of a lubricationfilm is demonstrated in nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of asix-layer dodecane film between mica walls. We argue that thislow friction state is thermodynamically stable with respect to thewell documented high friction film, the latter being a metastablestate. These results are in striking accord with the recentreport of Zhu and Granick [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 096101(2004).]. The extreme low friction is the result, not ofwall slip, but of layer sliding throughout the film, amechanism similar to solid lubrication.

URL:	http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.126103
DOI:	10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.126103
PACS:	68.35.Af; 81.40.Pq 68.35.Af Atomic scale friction (solid surfaces/interfaces) 81.40.Pq Friction, lubrication, and wear YEAR: 2005
KEYWORDS:	lubrication, friction, organic compounds, mica, molecular dynamics method, liquid films