Summary

Friction is an old subject of research: the empirical da Vinci-Amontons laws are common knowledge. Macroscopic experiments systematically performed by the school of Bowden and Tabor have revealed that macroscopic friction can be related to the collective action of small asperities. During the last 15 years, experiments performed with the atomic force microscope gave new insight into the physics of single asperities sliding over surfaces. This development, together with complementary experiments by means of surface force apparatus and quartz microbalance, established the new field of nanotribology. At the same time, increasing computing power allowed for the simulation of the processes in sliding contacts consisting of several hundred atoms. It became clear that atomic processes cannot be neglected in the interpretation of nanotribology experiments. Experiments on even well-defined surfaces directly revealed atomic structures in friction forces. This chapter will describe friction force microscopy experiments that reveal, more or less directly, atomic processes in the sliding contact.

We will begin by introducing friction force microscopy, including the calibration of cantilever force sensors and special aspects of the ultra-high vacuum environment. The empirical Tomlinson model largely describes atomic stick-slip results and is therefore presented in detail. We review experimental results regarding atomic friction. These include thermal activation, velocity dependence, as well as temperature dependence. The geometry of the contact plays a crucial role in the interpretation of experimental results, as we will demonstrate, for example, for the calculation of...