| AVS 54th International Symposium | |
| Tribology | Thursday Sessions |
| Session TR3+NS-ThA |
| Session: | Nanotribology and Nanomechanics |
| Presenter: | J.A. Harrison, United States Naval Academy |
| Authors: | J.A. Harrison, United States Naval Academy M.T. Knippenberg, United States Naval Academy J.D. Schall, United States Naval Academy G. Gao, United States Naval Academy P.T. Mikulski, United States Naval Academy |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The development of micron-sized devices, such as microelectromechanical devices, for terrestrial and space applications has prompted the need for protection of the surfaces of these devices. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), both alkanethiols and alkylsilanes, are possible candidate for the passivation and lubrication of these devices. The fundamental problem associated with controlling friction is a lack of understanding of the underlying atomic-scale processes that govern both friction and wear. We have conducted extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using our AIREBO potential aimed at understanding the atomic-scale mechanisms of friction in SAMs. We have examined the way in which the contact forces present at the interface influence friction and made direction connections between interfacial structure and friction. We have examined the effects of changing the interface structure in several ways. Some of these include changing the structure of the SAM (e.g., end-group, chemical identity, hybridization, connectivity of chains) and altering the roughness of the interface. In this talk, we will discuss our most recent findings that have examined the way in which the structure of both the SAM and the tip influence friction. ** Work supported by The Office of Naval Research and The Air Force Office of Scientific Research as part of the Extreme Friction MURI.