Abstract
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are well known for their exceptional thermal, mechanical and electrical properties1,2,3,4,5,6. For many CNT applications it is of the foremost importance to know their frictional properties. However, very little is known about the frictional forces between an individual nanotube and a substrate or tip. Here, we present a combined theoretical and experimental study of the frictional forces encountered by a nanosize tip sliding on top of a supported multiwall CNT along a direction parallel or transverse to the CNT axis. Surprisingly, we find a higher friction coefficient in the transverse direction compared with the parallel direction. This behaviour is explained by a simulation showing that transverse friction elicits a soft ‘hindered rolling’ of the tube and a frictional dissipation that is absent, or partially absent for chiral CNTs, when the tip slides parallel to the CNT axis. Our findings can help in developing better strategies for large-scale CNT assembling and sorting on a surface.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Avouris, Ph. et al. IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting 2004, Tech. Dig. 525–529 (2004).
Cummings, J. & Zettl, A. Low-friction nanoscale linear bearing realized from multiwall carbon nanotubes. Science 289, 602–604 (2000).
Fennimore, A. M. et al. Rotational actuators based on carbon nanotubes. Nature 424, 408–410 (2003).
Klinke, C., Hannon, J. B., Afzali, A. & Avouris, P. Field-effect transistors assembled from functionalized carbon nanotubes. Nano Lett. 6, 906–910 (2006).
Qu, L., Dai, L., Stone, M., Xia, Z. & Wang, Z. L. Carbon nanotube arrays with strong shear binding-on and easy normal lifting-off. Science 322, 238–242 (2008).
Vigolo, B., Poulin, P., Lucas, M., Launois, P. & Bernier, P. Improved structure and properties of single-wall carbon nanotube spun fibers. Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 1210–1212 (2002).
Persson, B. N. J., Tartaglino, U., Albohr, O. & Tosatti, E. Sealing is at the origin of rubber slipping on wet roads. Nature Mater. 3, 882–885 (2004).
Cummings, J. & Zettl, A. Localization and nonlinear resistance in telescopically extended nanotubes. Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 086801 (2004).
Forró, L. Nanotechnology: Beyond Gedanken experiments. Science 289, 560–561 (2000).
Yu, M. F., Yakobson, B. I. & Ruoff, R. S. Controlled sliding and pullout of nested shells in individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes. J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 8764–8767 (2000).
Kis, A., Jensen, K., Aloni, S., Mickelson, W. & Zettl, A. Interlayer forces and ultralow sliding friction in multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 025501 (2006).
Bourlon, B., Glattli, D. C., Miko, C., Forro, L. & Bachtold, A. Carbon nanotube based bearing for rotational motions. Nano Lett. 4, 709–712 (2004).
Servantie, J. & Gaspard, P. Rotational dynamics and friction in double-walled carbon nanotubes. Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 186106 (2006).
Falvo, M. R. et al. Nanometre-scale rolling and sliding of carbon nanotubes. Nature 397, 236–238 (1999).
Bhushan, B., Ling, X., Jungen, A. & Hierold, C. Adhesion and friction of a multiwalled carbon nanotube sliding against single-walled carbon nanotube. Phys. Rev. B 77, 165428 (2008).
Palaci, I., Fedrigo, S., Brune, H., Klinke, C. & Riedo, E. Radial elasticity of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 175502 (2005).
Johnson, K. L. Contact Mechanics (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1987).
Schwarz, U. D., Zworner, O., Koster, P. & Wiesendanger, R. Quantitative analysis of the frictional properties of solid materials at low loads. 1. Carbon compounds. Phys. Rev. B 56, 6987–6996 (1997).
Carpick, R. W., Ogletree, D. F. & Salmeron, M. Lateral stiffness: A new nanomechanical measurement for the determination of shear strengths with friction force microscopy. Appl. Phys. Lett. 70, 1548–1550 (1997).
Ritter, C., Heyde, M., Stegemann, B., Rademann, K. & Schwarz, U. D. Contact-area dependence of frictional forces: Moving adsorbed antimony nanoparticles. Phys. Rev. B 71, 085405 (2005).
Hirahara, K. et al. Chirality correlation in double-wall carbon nanotubes as studied by electron diffraction. Phys. Rev. B 73, 195420 (2006).
Geblinger, N., Ismach, A. & Joselevich, E. Self-organized nanotube serpentines. Nature Nanotech. 3, 195–200 (2008).
Sader, J. E., Chon, J. W. M. & Mulvaney, P. Calibration of rectangular atomic force microscope cantilevers. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 70, 3967–3969 (1999).
Ogletree, D. F., Carpick, R. W. & Salmeron, M. Calibration of frictional forces in atomic force microscopy. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 67, 3298–3306 (1996).
Arthur, P. & Boresi, O. M. S. Advanced Mechanics of Materials 2nd edn (Wiley, 1986).
Luedtke, W. D. & Landman, U. Slip diffusion and levy flights of an adsorbed gold nanocluster. Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 3835–3838 (1999).
Brenner, D. W. Empirical potential for hydrocarbons for use in simulating the chemical vapor-deposition of diamond films. Phys. Rev. B 42, 9458–9471 (1990).
Kolmogorov, A. N. & Crespi, V. H. Registry-dependent interlayer potential for graphitic systems. Phys. Rev. B 71, 235415 (2005).
Acknowledgements
M.L. was financially supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the DOE (DE-FG02-06ER46293). E.R. acknowledges the NSF (DMR-0120967 and DMR-0706031) and DOE (DE-FG02-06ER46293) for summer salary support. Work in Trieste was supported by CNR under EUROCORES/FANAS/AFRI, as well as by a PRIN/COFIN contract.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
M.L. carried out the experiments and analysed the data. X.Z. carried out the molecular dynamics simulations and analysed the data. C.K. carried out the transmission electron microscopy measurements, provided the CNTs and contributed with active communication in carrying out the experiments. I.P. carried out the initial part of the experiments. E.T. conceived and designed the theory and analysed the data. E.R. conceived and designed the experiments and analysed the data. All authors contributed in writing the letter.
Corresponding authors
Supplementary information
Supplementary Information
Supplementary Information (PDF 526 kb)
Supplementary Information
Supplementary Movie 1 (MPG 742 kb)
Supplementary Information
Supplementary Movie 2 (MPG 290 kb)
Supplementary Information
Supplementary Movie 3 (MPG 190 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lucas, M., Zhang, X., Palaci, I. et al. Hindered rolling and friction anisotropy in supported carbon nanotubes. Nature Mater 8, 876–881 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2529
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2529
This article is cited by
-
Ultrasmall single-layered NbSe2 nanotubes flattened within a chemical-driven self-pressurized carbon nanotube
Nature Communications (2024)
-
Relation between interfacial shear and friction force in 2D materials
Nature Nanotechnology (2022)
-
Molecular Dynamics Examination of Sliding History-Dependent Adhesion in Si–Si Nanocontacts: Connecting Friction, Wear, Bond Formation, and Interfacial Adhesion
Tribology Letters (2021)
-
Investigating the motion modes of smooth/rough micro/nanoparticles with circular crowned roller geometry and computing the maximum force
Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering (2019)
-
Lubricating performance of carbon nanotubes in internal combustion engines – engine test results for CNT enriched oil
International Journal of Automotive Technology (2017)