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arXiv · 1503.04081

Superlubric to stick-slip sliding of incommensurate graphene flakes on graphite

M. M. van Wijk·M. Dienwiebel·J. W. M. Frenken·A. Fasolino
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Abstract

We calculate the friction of fully mobile graphene flakes sliding on graphite. For incommensurately stacked flakes, we find a sudden and reversible increase in friction with load, in agreement with experimental observations. The transition from smooth sliding to stick-slip and the corresponding increase in friction is neither due to rotations to commensurate contact nor to dislocations but to a pinning caused by vertical distortions of edge atoms also when they are saturated by Hydrogen. This behavior should apply to all layered materials with strong in-plane bonding.

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M. M. van Wijk, M. Dienwiebel, J. W. M. Frenken, A. Fasolino. 2015-03-13. Superlubric to stick-slip sliding of incommensurate graphene flakes on graphite. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.88.235423

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