Nanotribology and nanomechanics in nano/biotechnology

Abstract

Owing to larger surface area in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), surface forces such as adhesion, friction, and meniscus and viscous drag forces become large when compared with inertial and electromagnetic forces. There is a need to develop lubricants and identify lubrication methods that are suitable for MEMS/NEMS. For BioMEMS/BioNEMS, adhesion between biological molecular layers and the substrate, and friction and wear of biological layers may be important, and methods to enhance adhesion between biomolecules and the device surface need to be developed. There is a need for development of a fundamental understanding of adhesion, friction/stiction, wear, the role of surface contamination and environment, and lubrication. MEMS/NEMS materials need to exhibit good mechanical and tribological properties on the micro/nanoscale. Most mechanical properties are known to be scale dependent. Therefore, the properties of nanoscale structures need to be measured. Componentlevel studies are required to provide a better understanding of the tribological phenomena occurring in MEMS/NEMS. The emergence of micro/nanotribology and atomic force microscopy-based techniques has provided researchers with a viable approach to address these problems. This paper presents an overview of micro/nanoscale adhesion, friction, and wear studies of materials and lubrication studies for MEMS/NEMS and BioMEMS/BioNEMS. It also presents a review of scale-dependent mechanical properties, and stress and deformation analysis of nanostructures.

The nature of the frictional force at the macro-, micro-, and nano-scales

“…However, that possibility can be discarded because under ambient conditions, the first Si transition occurs in the pressure range of 9 to 16 GPa [1,16], which is higher than the contact pressures used in our experiments. According to Bhushan [17], we can find at least four possible differences in the operating conditions responsible for the friction differences in our Fig. 6 The sample mounting frame of the UHV tribometer with a piece of Si(100) foil bent to form a cylindrical section.…”

Reduction of Friction of Metals Using Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Nanostructures

“…It is well known that surface texturing is an effective way of improving tribological properties under both dry and lubricated conditions [1][2][3]. Its main effect mechanisms are to trap wear particles, store lubricants, and increase load carrying capacity [4][5][6].…”

Integrated Biomimemic Carbon Nanotube Composites for Biomedical Applications

“…A considerable amount of creep strain at the peak load was found for all the samples. The holding segment at the peak load is necessary for the dissipation of creep displacement; most polymeric biomaterials and tissues often exhibit this type of time-dependent or viscoelastic behaviour (Li and Bhushan, 2002;Bhushan, 2003). To study the effect of dispersion of nanotubes in the PMMA/HA composite, hardness and elastic modulus values are needed for both small and large indentation depths.…”