Discover
/
Article

Soft Matter in a Tight Spot

JUL 01, 1999
Lubricants are familiar and useful, yet their underlying physics is surprisingly subtle and complex.
Steve Granick

My friends thought I was crazy when I began, ten years ago, to work on friction and lubrication—words that seemed to evoke the triviality of replacing the dirty oil in one’s automobile. What could be fundamental or beautiful about friction? In this article, I try to explain why the subject still fascinates me.

This article is only available in PDF format

References

  1. 1. D. Dowson, History of Tribology, Longman, London (1979).

  2. 2. J. M. Carlson, J. S. Langer, B. E. Shaw, Rev. Mod. Phys. 66, 657 (1994).https://doi.org/RMPHAT

  3. 3. F. J. Holly, T. F. Holly, Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 350, 275 (1994).https://doi.org/AEMBAP

  4. 4. B. Bhushan, J. N. Israelachvili, U. Landman, Nature 374, 607 (1995).https://doi.org/NATUAS

  5. 5. L. Demirel, S. Granick, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 2261 (1996).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  6. 6. P. A. Thompson, G. S. Grest, M. O. Robbins, Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 3448 (1992).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  7. 7. C. J. Yu, A. G. Richter, A. Datta, M. K. Durbin, P. Dutta, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2326 (1999).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  8. 8. M. G. Rozman, M. Urbakh, J. Klafter, F.‐J. Elmer, J. Phys. Chem. B. 102, 7924 (1998).

  9. 9. R. G. Larson, Rheologica Acta 31, 213 (1992).

  10. 10. L. Demirel, S. Granick, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 4330 (1996).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  11. 11. S. Nasuno, A. Kudrolli, A. Bak, J. P. Gollub, Phys. Rev. A 58, 2161 (1998).https://doi.org/PLRAAN

  12. 12. J. P. Gao, W. D. Luedtke, U. Landman, J. Phys. Chem. B 102, 5033 (1998).https://doi.org/JPCBFK

  13. 13. M. Heuberger, C. Drummond, J. Israelachvili, J. Phys. Chem. B 102, 5038 (1998).https://doi.org/JPCBFK

  14. 14. J. Klein, E. Kumacheva, D. Mahalu, D. Perahia, L. J. Fetters, Nature 370, 634 (1994).https://doi.org/NATUAS

  15. 15. X. Zheng, M. H. Rafailovich, J. Sokolov, Y. Strzhemechny, S. A. Schwarz, B. B. Sauer, M. Rubinstein, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 241 (1997).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

  16. 16. F. Brochard, P.‐G. de Gennes, Langmuir 8, 3033 (1992).https://doi.org/LANGD5

More about the authors

Steve Granick, University of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign.

Related content
/
Article
Since the discovery was first reported in 1999, researchers have uncovered many aspects of the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect, but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
/
Article
Metrologists are using fundamental physics to define units of measure. Now NIST has developed new quantum sensors to measure and realize the pascal.
/
Article
Nanoscale, topologically protected whirlpools of spins have the potential to move from applications in spintronics into quantum science.
/
Article
The ability to communicate a key message clearly and concisely to a nonspecialized audience is a critical skill to develop at all educational levels.
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1999_07.jpeg

Volume 52, Number 7

Get PT newsletters in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.