TY - JOUR
T1 - On the lubrication of rough copper surfaces with graphene
AU - Bian, Jianjun
AU - Nicola, Lucia
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Graphene is well known as a solid lubricant for nanoscale devices and is generally used to decrease friction between flat surfaces. In this work, we investigate its performance as a lubricant for rough surfaces. To this end, the problem of a silicon tip sliding on a rough copper single crystal, bare or covered by a graphene layer, is addressed through molecular dynamics simulations. To simplify the analysis, the copper crystal is taken to be quasi-three dimensional, so that the roughness profile is constant along the short periodic dimension. Results show markedly different deformation mechanisms in copper, depending on whether the rough surface is bare, covered with a stretched graphene layer, or with a wrinkled graphene layer. The wrinkled layer appears to be the best solution to reduce friction.
AB - Graphene is well known as a solid lubricant for nanoscale devices and is generally used to decrease friction between flat surfaces. In this work, we investigate its performance as a lubricant for rough surfaces. To this end, the problem of a silicon tip sliding on a rough copper single crystal, bare or covered by a graphene layer, is addressed through molecular dynamics simulations. To simplify the analysis, the copper crystal is taken to be quasi-three dimensional, so that the roughness profile is constant along the short periodic dimension. Results show markedly different deformation mechanisms in copper, depending on whether the rough surface is bare, covered with a stretched graphene layer, or with a wrinkled graphene layer. The wrinkled layer appears to be the best solution to reduce friction.
KW - Friction
KW - Graphene
KW - Lubrication
KW - Rough surface
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099832465&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.triboint.2020.106837
DO - 10.1016/j.triboint.2020.106837
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85099832465
SN - 0301-679X
VL - 156
JO - Tribology International
JF - Tribology International
M1 - 106837
ER -