Science and Technology in Nanotribology

Dear Colleagues,

Nanotribology, also known as microtribology or molecular tribology, focuses on atomic and molecular interactions which occur following frictional contact between materials at a nanoscale, and is one of the most significant components of tribology. By utilizing atomic force microscopy and other surface analysis methods, as well as computational molecular dynamics, nanotribology considers the friction behaviors from the perspective of atoms and molecules, so it is considered as a fundamental research field of tribology. Nanotribology establishes a way to improve the fundamental understanding of physical, chemical, mechanochemical, and electrical interactions during a sliding process, which has led to the advancement of the fields of nanomechanics, nanoimaging, and so on. The methodology of nanotribology can be applied to almost all kinds of solid materials, such as 2D materials, semiconducting materials, hydrogels, and so on, and the environmental conditions can be vapors or liquids. Moreover, with the better understanding of the atomic rearrangement and material removal mechanism, nanotribology provides essential insights into the field of nanomanufacturing. Although the word nanotribology was first introduced about 20 years ago, the field of nanotribology is still growing fast via incorporation with the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, and so on, especially with the development of high-precision experimental methods and the increase in computational power.

This Special Issue aims to share advances in the field of nanotribology, which can benefit both fundamental science research and advanced manufacturing technology. Both experimental and theoretical investigations are highly welcome.

Dr. Zhe Chen
Dr. Huan Hu
Dr. Oleksiy V. Penkov
Prof. Dr. Seong Han Kim
Guest Editors

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• nanotribology
• microtribology
• molecular tribology
• friction
• wear
• lubrication
• nanomechanics
• nanomanufacturing
• atomic force microscopy
• molecular dynamics
• 2D materials
• semiconducting materials
• hydrogels