Identifying the origin of macroscopic friction between clay mineral surfaces
Friday, January 25, 2019 - 07:10
in Physics & Chemistry
NIMS, the University of Tokyo and Hiroshima University jointly discovered for the first time, through theoretical calculation and experiment, that macroscopic frictions occurring between clay mineral surfaces originate from interatomic electrostatic forces between these surfaces. This finding may facilitate the design of solid lubricant materials and understanding of earthquake-causing fault slip mechanisms.