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Lubrication is documented on a microscopic scale with a friction force microscope. A reduction in friction is observed for Langmuir-BIodgett film-covered surfaces, compared to the bare substrates. Film defects not detected in the topographic mode are clearly recorded in the friction force mode. With applied forces over 10 nN, the initial stages of wear are observed. Small islands of bilayer height are moved in their entirety, conserving the normal orientation of the aliphatic chains. This collective motion of molecules allows the shear strength of the films to be determined. The observed ability of the molecules to remain in the ordered state illustrates one of the fundamental origins of boundary lubrication.PACS numbers: 62.20.-x In tribology Langmuir-BIodgett films are used as model systems for boundary lubrication. Friction on metals is reduced by a factor of 10 and wear by a factor of 10000 or more [1,2]. Scanning probe microscopes, such as the atomic force microscope (AFM) [3,4] and the friction force microscope (FFM) [5], offer the opportunity to examine phenomena such as friction and wear on a local scale.The first observation of friction with a force microscope [6] showed that frictional forces between a tungsten tip and graphite vary with the atomic periodicity of the underlying graphite surface. Frictional forces were found to increase linearly with increasing load and a friction coeflficient of 0.01 was determined. The contact region was interpreted to be several thousands of atoms, producing atomic scale features from a certain degree of commensurability between the tip and sample. Recently, the anisotropy of frictional forces between muscovite mica sheets was investigated by FFM and surface force apparatus (SFA) [7]. This anisotropy was also attributed to the commensurability between the two contacting surfaces. In this study a frictionless state was postulated for the limit of complete incommensurability. In order to understand the origins of friction and wear on the nanometer scale, several models based upon ab initio calculations [8] and molecular dynamics calculations [9] have been introduced. These initial computational approaches have produced values for friction in agreement with the above FFM measurements on graphite [8]. They have also modeled the phenomenon of plastic deformation of surfaces under the AFM probe [9]. However, the particular case of boundary lubrication as probed by the AFM and FFM has yet to be described on a fundamental theoretical basis.AFM measurements on Langmuir-BIodgett (LB) films have shown that molecular resolution can be achieved [10,11]. From both force-distance curves [12] and the atomic scale imaging, it is concluded that the contact region is of the order of several square nanometers. The subject of this paper is to study lubrication on a microscopic scale and to examine the initial stages of wear on Langmuir-BIodgett films as they arise in this submicron regime.The friction studies are carried out in the following manner: One-and two-bilayer films of Cd arac...

The tribological properties of C(60) on the mesoscopic scale were investigated with a scanning force microscope, which allowed simultaneous measurements of normal and lateral forces under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. Islands of C(60), deposited on NaCl(001), could be moved by the action of the probing tip in a controlled way. Different modes of motion, such as translation and rotation, were observed. An extremely small dissipation energy of about 0.25 millielectron volt per molecule and a cohesive energy of 1.5 electron volts were determined in these nanometer-scale experiments. The corresponding shear strength of 0.05 to 0.1 megapascal was smaller by one order of magnitude than typical values of boundary lubricants. For C(60) on graphite, disruption of the islands was observed and collective motion of the islands could not be achieved. These results could find use in the field of nanotechnology; for example, C(60) islands could be developed into a sled-type transport system on the nanometer scale.

A scanning force/tunneling microscope (SFM/STM) for remote controlled operation in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) is described. The lateral forces, normal forces, and tunneling currents between probe tip and sample can all be measured simultaneously. The optical beam deflection detector and the sample position can be adjusted by means of three compact inertial stepping motors. An UHV-compatible light emitting diode is introduced as a general alternative to the widely used laser diode in the detector. Images, taken at 5×10−11 mbar on Si(111) with STM and noncontact SFM, and on NaF(001) with contact SFM, are presented.

The understanding of the phenomena of ferroelectricity requires profound knowledge of the ferroelectric domain structure. In this paper we report on the progress of studying ferroelectric domains and domain walls with scanning force microscopy (SFM). Domains and domain walls of ferroelectric crystals of guanidinium aluminum sulfate hexahydrate (GASH) are imaged with SFM. Two sets of complementary results are obtained depending on the operation mode of the instrument. In the non-contact imaging mode (attractive force regime), domain walls are imaged. In the contact imaging mode (repulsive force regime) in addition to the domain wall structure, information about the polarity of the domains is obtained. In these latter images, the opposing contrast of the ferroelectric positive and negative domains is superimposed on the GASH cleavage structure. The imaging mechanism of the contact and noncontact modes are discussed. Corroborating scanning electron microscopy images are presented as well.