title: Frictional Properties of Nanojunctions Including Atomically Thin Sheets.
abstract: Using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations and a coarse-grained description of a system, we have investigated frictional properties of nanojunctions including atomically thin sheets embedded between metal surfaces. We found that the frictional properties of the junctions are determined by the interplay between the lattice mismatch of the contacting surfaces and out-of-plane displacements of the sheet. The simulations provide insight into how and why the frictional characteristics of the nanojunctions are affected by the commensurate-incommensurate transition. We demonstrated that in order to achieve a superlow friction, the graphene sheet should be grown on or transferred to the surface with morphology, which is close to that of the graphene (for instance, Cu), while the second confining surface should be incommensurate with the graphene (e.g., Au). Our results suggest an avenue for controlling nanoscale friction in layered materials and provide insights in the design of heterojunctions for nanomechanical applications.
authors.forename: Wengen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.|The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Quanshui
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.|The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urbakh
keywords: Nanoscale friction; bending rigidity; commensurability; graphene; lattice mismatch; out-of-plane deformation