Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology believe that stacking graphene, a sheet of carbon only one atom thick, can make it more slippery. Graphene slows down any object sliding over its surface and is able to be “folded, rolled or stacked” and is strong with unusual electronic and optical characteristics. This material can be used in “applications ranging from electronic circuits to solar cells to ‘greasing’ moving parts in nanoscale devices.”
NIST researchers developed a program that “simulates atomic force microscopy using a molecular dynamics technique” which then “was used to measure what happens when a simulated AFM tip moves across a stack of one to four graphene sheets.” Their findings are comparable to other studies, but show that with “fewer layers, the top layer deflects more, and the friction per unit of AFM contact force rises. By contrast, the friction of three-dimensional graphite-like material is virtually unaffected by deformation and rolling friction, and is due instead to heat created by the moving tip.”
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