title: Exploring and Explaining Friction with the Prandtl-Tomlinson Model.
abstract: The Prandtl-Tomlinson model of friction, first introduced in 1928 as a "conceptual model" for a single-atom contact, consists of a point mass that is dragged over a sinusoidal potential by a spring. After decades of virtual oblivion, it has recently found impressive validation for contacts comprising tens or even hundreds of atoms. To date, the Prandtl-Tomlinson model enjoys widespread popularity as depicting arguably the most insightful mechanical analogue to atomic-scale effects occurring at sliding interfaces. In this issue of ACS Nano, Pawlak et al. demonstrate the model's applicability to a true single-atom contact, thereby illustrating that simple mechanical representations can indeed go a long way toward explaining interactions at atomically defined interfaces.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science and Chemical & Environmental Engineering and Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena (CRISP), Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States.
authors.forename: Udo D
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.affiliation: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) , P.O. Box 3640, Karlsruhe 76021, Germany.
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hölscher