Tiny Diamonds Wrapped in Graphene Get Rid of Friction
17th May 2015
A phenomenon called superlubricity occurs when two perfectly flat surfaces with incompatible crystal structures slide past each other. It’s only been observed in extremely small samples, however, as larger surfaces have imperfections that tend to get stuck as they slide around.
Now, researchers have managed to create superlubricity in a large sample. They do so by getting graphene to wrap around nanoscopic diamonds, creating something akin to tiny ball bearings.