グラフェン/C_<60>/グラフェン界面の特異な超潤滑特性

Abstract

Unique near-zero friction regime of the C_<60> molecular bearings, graphene/C_<60>/graphene interface, is numerically found for the lateral scan along the [1120] direction under the relatively low loading condition. The sinusoidal motion of the C_<60> molecule along the carbon bond is continuous and reversible during the forward and backward scans. As a result, the hysteresis loop of the lateral force curve nearly disappears, which leads to a mean frictional force of nearly zero, ＜F_L＞ ≃ 0. The mechanism of this conservative motion is clarified by the direct calculation of the local minimum position located on the total potential energy surface V_<total>. The energy barrier between the neighboring minimum positions always exists, which prevents the C_<60> molecule from taking stick-slip motion.