Definition
Atomic-level stick-slip refers to the behavior of a sliding interface, usually an atomic force microscope tip sliding along a crystalline surface, whereby the tip sticks and then slips laterally with respect to the surface in a periodic fashion. The periodicity coincides with the surface lattice.
Scientific Fundamentals
History of Atomic-Level Stick–Slip
Atomic-level stick-slip friction is a widely observed phenomenon in atomic force microscopy (AFM) and has been reviewed in detail in the literature (Morita et al. 1996; Szlufarska et al. 2008; Mate 2008). Atomic-level stick-slip was first discovered by Mate et al., who were using AFM to measure friction between a tungsten tip and a graphite (0001) surface (Mate et al. 1987). The lateral signal exhibited stick-slip behavior with the spatial periodicity of the graphite lattice. Since then, this behavior has been observed on a wide range of...
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Carpick, R.W., Martini, A., Cannara, R.J. (2013). Atomic-Level Stick-Slip. In: Wang, Q.J., Chung, YW. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tribology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92897-5_509
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