Slip sliding away: Graphene and diamonds prove a slippery combinationScientists at the U.S. Departme
Slip sliding away: Graphene and diamonds prove a slippery combination
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have found a way to use tiny diamonds and graphene to give friction the slip, creating a new material combination that demonstrates the rare phenomenon of “superlubricity.”
Led by nanoscientist Ani Sumant of Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM) and Argonne Distinguished Fellow Ali Erdemir of Argonne’s Energy Systems Division, the five-person Argonne team combined diamond nanoparticles, small patches of graphene – a two-dimensional single-sheet form of pure carbon – and a diamond-like carbon material to create superlubricity, a highly-desirable property in which friction drops to near zero.
According to Erdemir, as the graphene patches and diamond particles rub up against a large diamond-like carbon surface, the graphene rolls itself around the diamond particle, creating something that looks like a ball bearing on the nanoscopic level. “The interaction between the graphene and the diamond-like carbon is essential for creating the ‘superlubricity’ effect,” he said. “The two materials depend on each other.”
