Washington: University of Pennsylvania engineers say that they have found out what causes diamonds to slip and slide with remarkably low friction at the nanoscale, something that makes it an ideal material and coating for seals, high performance tools and high-tech moving parts.
Robert Carpick, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the university, says that the new findings may help create the next generation of super low friction materials.
The researchers looked at two of the main hypotheses posited for years as to why diamonds demonstrate very low friction and wear properties.
Using a highly specialized technique know as Photoelectron Emission Microscopy (PEEM), they found that the slippery behaviour came from passivation of atomic bonds at the diamond surface that were broken during sliding.
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Text: ANI
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