T. Ohzono et al., Simulations of wearless friction at a sliding interface between ordered organic monolayers, JPN J A P 1, 37(12A), 1998, pp. 6535-6543
Molecular dynamics and simple phenomenological simulations are used to mode
l the friction between two ordered monolayers of alkane chains bound at the
ir ends to rigid substrates. Results of calculations using these methods su
ggest that the frictional properties at a sliding interface between the ord
ered films are governed by two simplified potentials. One isa potential due
to the lateral collective deformation of a film and the other is a corruga
ted interfacial potential between films facing each other. These two potent
ials are closely related to the nature of the films, i.e., their physical a
nd chemical properties. In addition, the simplified models can be greatly e
xtended to clarify the frictional behavior of other weakly interacting inte
rfaces such as hydrogen-terminated diamond surfaces.