Exploring wear at the nanoscale with circular mode atomic force microscopy

• Olivier Noel,
• Aleksandar Vencl and
• Pierre-Emmanuel Mazeran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2662–2668, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.266

• de Compiègne, UMR CNRS 7337, Roberval, Centre de recherche de Royallieu – CS 60 319 – 60 203 Compiègne cedex, France 10.3762/bjnano.8.266 Abstract The development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) has allowed wear mechanisms to be investigated at the nanometer scale by means of a single asperity

• . Finally, we describe the advantages of this method and we report a relevant application example addressing a Cu/Al2O3 nanocomposite material used in industrial applications. Keywords: circular mode atomic force microscopy; composite materials; image processing; nanowear; wear mechanisms; Introduction

• roads, brakes or car engines [6]. The use of lubricants to reduce wear is also a source of pollution as they are often in the form of unfriendly environmental chemicals discarded into the environment [7]. Advances in tribology have allowed for a better understanding of wear mechanisms at the macroscale

Scanning probe microscopy and related methods

• Ernst Meyer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2010, 1, 155–157, doi:10.3762/bjnano.1.18

• information about the local bonding and to explore friction and wear mechanisms. Two different regimes were observed, which were related to the commensurability of the contacts [9]. The manipulation of a large number of particles gives also access to the size and shapes of the particles [10] and is discussed