Abstract
The nanofriction properties of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) are vital for its application as a substrate for graphene devices and solid lubricants in micro- and nano-electromechanical devices. In this work, the nanofriction characteristics of h-BN on Si/SiO2 substrates with a bias voltage are explored using a conductive atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip sliding on the h-BN surface under different substrate bias voltages. The results show that the nanofriction on h-BN increases with an increase in the applied bias difference (Vt−s) between the conductive tip and the substrate. The nanofriction under negative Vt−s is larger than that under positive Vt−s. The variation in nanofriction is relevant to the electrostatic interaction caused by the charging effect. The electrostatic force between opposite charges localized on the conductive tip and at the SiO2/Si interface increases with an increase in Vt−s. Owing to the characteristics of p-type silicon, a positive Vt−s will first cause depletion of majority carriers, which results in a difference of nanofriction under positive and negative Vt−s. Our findings provide an approach for manipulating the nanofriction of 2D insulating material surfaces through an applied electric field, and are helpful for designing a substrate for graphene devices.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51675097, U1632128, and 51775105), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (17ZR1400700), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities ad DHU Distinguished Young Professor Program.
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Kemeng YU. He obtained his B.Eng. degree in Hunan Institute of Technology, China (2018). He is now a master candidate in Donghua University, China. His current research interests mainly focus on nanofriction in 2D materials.
Kun ZOU. He received his B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees in mechanical engineering from Wuhan University of Technology. He received his Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University in 1999. He is an associate professor at the College of Mechanical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include nanomaterials, nanofriction, nanosensors, and their industrial application.
Yitian PENG. He received his Ph.D. degree from the State key laboratory of Tribology in Tsinghua University, China (2007). Now, he is a full professor at the College of Mechanical Engineering, Donghua University. He is a member of the Chinese Tribology Institute in the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society and Micro-nano Manufacturing Institute of Chinese Micro-nano Society. He was in charge of more than 20 municipal and national projects, among which four projects were funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He has published 70 peer-refereed papers among which 54 papers were published in SCI journals. The papers have been cited 705 times His current research interests focus on tribology, micro/nano fabrication, and surface manufacture.
Haojie LANG. He received his Ph.D. degree in 2020 from Donghua University, Shanghai, China. He is now working as a lecturer at the College of Mechanical Engineering, Donghua University. His research focuses on nanoscale friction of 2D materials.
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Yu, K., Zou, K., Lang, H. et al. Nanofriction characteristics of h-BN with electric field induced electrostatic interaction. Friction 9, 1492–1503 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-020-0432-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-020-0432-x