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Correlation Between Probe Shape and Atomic Friction Peaks at Graphite Step Edges

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Abstract

Molecular dynamics simulation and atomic force microscopy are used to study the nature of friction between nanoscale tips and graphite step edges. Both techniques show that the width of the lateral force peak as the probe moves up a step is directly correlated with the size and shape of the tip. The origin of that relationship is explored and the similarities and differences between the measurements and simulations are discussed. The observations suggest that the relationship between lateral force peak width and tip geometry can be used as a real-time monitor for tip wear during atomic scale friction measurements.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the U.S. National Science Foundation for its support through Grants No. CMMI 1068552 and CMMI-1068741. We are grateful to Dr. Hendrik Hölscher and Dr. Qunyang Li for the insightful discussions when initiating this work and to Tevis D. B. Jacobs and Graham Wabiszewski for their help to acquire TEM images. P.E. would like to acknowledge financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Yalin Dong

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Xin Z. Liu, Philip Egberts & Robert W. Carpick

  3. School of Engineering, University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA

    Zhijiang Ye & Ashlie Martini

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  1. Yalin Dong
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  2. Xin Z. Liu
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  3. Philip Egberts
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  4. Zhijiang Ye
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  5. Robert W. Carpick
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  6. Ashlie Martini
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Correspondence to Yalin Dong.

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Dong, Y., Liu, X.Z., Egberts, P. et al. Correlation Between Probe Shape and Atomic Friction Peaks at Graphite Step Edges. Tribol Lett 50, 49–57 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-012-0072-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-012-0072-z

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