Using a home-built frictional force microscope that is able to detect forces in three dimensions with a lateral force resolution down to 15 pN, we have studied the energy dissipation between a tungsten tip sliding over a graphite surface in dry contact. By measuring atomic-scale friction as a function of the rotational angle between two contacting bodies, we show that the origin of the ultralow friction of graphite lies in the incommensurability between rotated graphite layers, an effect proposed under the name of ''superlubricity'' [M.

In this paper, friction between a finite, nanometer-sized, rigid graphite flake and a rigid graphite surface is analyzed theoretically in the framework of a modified Tomlinson model. Lateral forces are studied as a function of orientational misfit between flake and surface lattices, pulling direction of the flake, flake size and flake shape. The calculations show that the orientation dependence of the friction provides information on the contact size and shape. We find good agreement between the calculations and the experimental results, discussed in a recent publication by Dienwiebel et al.

SummaryThe bacterial cell division machinery is organized in the so-called divisome composed of highly dynamic but low abundant interacting (membrane-bound) proteins. In order to elucidate the molecular interactions between these proteins, we developed a robust background-insensitive quantitative spectral unmixing method for estimating FRET efficiencies at near endogenous protein levels using fluorescent protein fusions. The assembly of the division machinery of Escherichia coli occurs in two steps that are discrete in time: first the FtsZ-ring and the so-called early localizing proteins that together seem to prepare the division assembly at midcell. Subsequently, the late localizing protein complexes that contain the peptidoglycan-synthesizing proteins PBP1B and FtsI (PBP3) are recruited to the division site, which initiates septation. Physical interactions were observed between members within each group but also between the early and late localizing proteins strongly suggesting that these proteins despite their differential localization in time are linked at the molecular and functional level. Interestingly, we find FtsN, one of the latest proteins in the divisome assembly, interacting with late assembling proteins FtsI and FtsW, but also with early (proto-ring) protein ZapA. This is in line with the recently described role of FtsN in divisome stabilization including the proto-ring elements.

No abstract

Graphite is known to be a good solid lubricant. The low-friction behavior is commonly ascribed to the low resistance to shear. Using a home-built frictional force microscope that is able to detect forces in three dimensions, we have studied the energy dissipation between a tungsten tip sliding over a graphite surface in dry contact. By measuring atomic-scale friction as a function of the rotational angle between two contacting bodies we show that the origin of the ultra-low friction of graphite lies in the incommensurability between rotated graphite layers, an effect proposed under the name of ‘superlubricity’.