| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Tribology Focus Topic | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session TR+AS+HI+NS+SS-WeA |
| Session: | Molecular Origins of Friction |
| Presenter: | Philip Egberts, University of Calgary, Canada |
| Authors: | P. Gong, University of Calgary, Canada Z. Ye, Miami University L. Yuan, University of Calgary, Canada P. Egberts, University of Calgary, Canada |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The friction reducing properties of graphene has been shown to have a number of interesting properties, such as a dependence on the number of layers of the lubricant present, an exceptional dependence on the surface adhesion properties of the underlying substrate, and environmental stability. These properties have been attributed to its low mechanical strength to out-of-plane deformation, its innate thinness, and the influence of the environment on the surface energy. In this work, the friction reducing properties of graphene are examined using experiments and simulation. In particular, the influence of surface energy and associated wettability of graphene are explored as a property that can influence the lubrication properties of graphene, but also friction hysteresis. While little to no variation in pull-off forces have been observed on varying numbers of graphene covering the surfaces in experiments, the impact of the variance of surface energy on friction, and in particular friction under humid environments, suggests that surface energy may have a stronger influence on graphene’s friction reducing ability than suggested in previous work.