Advances in Nanoscale Friction

Dear Colleagues,

The past decade has witnessed extraordinary advances in understanding friction phenomena at the nanoscale, fundamentally transforming our approach to tribological design and surface engineering. The ability to manipulate and control friction at atomic and molecular levels has opened unprecedented opportunities for developing next-generation materials with tailored tribological properties.

Recent breakthroughs have been driven by revolutionary characterization techniques, including atomic force microscopy (AFM) and friction force microscopy (FFM), enabling direct measurement of friction forces at the single asperity level. The emergence of molecular dynamics simulations has complemented experimental advances by revealing atomic-level friction mechanisms and enabling prediction of friction behavior from first principles.

Significant progress has been achieved in understanding nanoscale friction in graphene and two-dimensional materials, nanostructured surfaces, carbon nanotube interfaces, and bio-inspired systems. The development of superlubricity phenomena, where friction nearly vanishes due to incommensurable contact interfaces, represents a paradigm shift in friction control.

Contemporary challenges focus on bridging length scales from atomic interactions to macroscopic performance, developing predictive models for environmental effects, and creating practical applications that harness nanoscale friction control.

This Special Issue will showcase cutting-edge research in nanoscale friction phenomena. Topics include atomic-scale friction mechanisms and superlubricity, nanoscale surface modification, molecular dynamics simulations, experimental characterization techniques, friction in two-dimensional materials, environmental effects, and scaling laws from nanoscale to macroscale tribology.

We particularly encourage contributions advancing fundamental understanding of nanoscale friction physics and demonstrating practical applications in engineering systems.

Dr. Sung-Jun Lee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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