On-Device Control of Electronic Friction

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Yu, Zhaokuan, Bian, Jinbo, Wang, Jin, Jiang, Zonghuiyi, Zhai, Linxin, Lu, Xin, Liu, Xiaofei, Zheng, Quanshui, Xu, Zhiping
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Yu, Zhaokuan
Bian, Jinbo
Wang, Jin
Jiang, Zonghuiyi
Zhai, Linxin
Lu, Xin
Liu, Xiaofei
Zheng, Quanshui
Xu, Zhiping
author_facet Yu, Zhaokuan
Bian, Jinbo
Wang, Jin
Jiang, Zonghuiyi
Zhai, Linxin
Lu, Xin
Liu, Xiaofei
Zheng, Quanshui
Xu, Zhiping
contents Friction causes mechanical energy dissipation and material degradation in machinery and devices. While phononic friction is well understood via anharmonic lattice dynamics, the physics of electronic friction remains unclear due to challenges in separating electronic degrees of freedom from phononic ones in experiments and analyzing the non-equilibrium interactions between ionic movement and electronic dynamics in theory. To tackle this problem, we construct a sliding device featuring 2D crystalline interfaces that possess ultra-smooth and minimally interacting surfaces, achieving the state of structural superlubricity with no wear and minimal friction. Using electrical and mechanical controls, we tuned the nature of interfacial electronic coupling and charge densities in materials in an on-device setting, which allows us to disentangle the electron and phonon contributions to friction. Our experimental data and theoretical analysis supported by first-principles calculations demonstrate that electronic friction can well surpass phononic contributions and dominate energy dissipation at structural superlubricity contacts. These findings offer fresh insights into the mechanism of electronic friction and promising opportunities for friction control in device applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_03986
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle On-Device Control of Electronic Friction
Yu, Zhaokuan
Bian, Jinbo
Wang, Jin
Jiang, Zonghuiyi
Zhai, Linxin
Lu, Xin
Liu, Xiaofei
Zheng, Quanshui
Xu, Zhiping
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Applied Physics
Friction causes mechanical energy dissipation and material degradation in machinery and devices. While phononic friction is well understood via anharmonic lattice dynamics, the physics of electronic friction remains unclear due to challenges in separating electronic degrees of freedom from phononic ones in experiments and analyzing the non-equilibrium interactions between ionic movement and electronic dynamics in theory. To tackle this problem, we construct a sliding device featuring 2D crystalline interfaces that possess ultra-smooth and minimally interacting surfaces, achieving the state of structural superlubricity with no wear and minimal friction. Using electrical and mechanical controls, we tuned the nature of interfacial electronic coupling and charge densities in materials in an on-device setting, which allows us to disentangle the electron and phonon contributions to friction. Our experimental data and theoretical analysis supported by first-principles calculations demonstrate that electronic friction can well surpass phononic contributions and dominate energy dissipation at structural superlubricity contacts. These findings offer fresh insights into the mechanism of electronic friction and promising opportunities for friction control in device applications.
title On-Device Control of Electronic Friction
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.03986