MCA: Friction of Nanocrystals at Technologically Relevant Speeds: Filling the Gap of Knowledge in Nanotribology

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This grant will enable the development of a sophisticated technique to determine friction of individual nanocrystals at the speeds most relevant for industrial applications such as gears and bearings. Since contacts between sliding surfaces can be modeled as an ensemble of nanoscale contacts, the project is critical for advancing friction reduction technologies. This project will advance the national prosperity since friction and wear are estimated to cost up to 1.6 percent of the GDP per year, corresponding to over $300 billion for the United States. This grant will also enable the development of a middle-school teacher training program to prepare them to foster scientific inquiry, problem solving, and appreciation for the complexity of empirical work, all critical for success of students in college-level sciences.The developed technique will determine friction of individual nanocrystals between 1 mm/sec to 1 m/sec by integrating the quartz crystal microbalance with scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy. The friction of individual nanocrystals as a function of contact area from 1 to 10,000 nm2 will be determined to establish the fundamental physics of nanoscale friction at the speeds most relevant for applications. Calculations performed by the collaborative partner will strengthen the impact of these results. This project will validate friction measurements using quartz crystal microbalances in general by directly connecting the measured dissipation signals with nanoscale friction. As such, this project will have a broad scientific impact to the advancement of the nanomechanics of nanoscale tribology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.