Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Concept Videos

Frictional Force01:07

Frictional Force

When a body is in motion, it encounters resistance because the body interacts with its surroundings. This resistance is known as friction, a common yet complex force whose behavior is still not completely understood. Friction opposes relative motion between systems in contact, but also allows us to move. Friction arises in part due to the roughness of surfaces in contact. For one object to move along a surface, it must rise to where the peaks of the surface can skip along the bottom of the...
Characteristics of Dry Friction01:21

Characteristics of Dry Friction

Dry friction occurs when two solid surfaces slide against each other without any lubrication or fluid present. It causes resistance when pushing objects along a surface, like a gardener pushing a wheelbarrow. The force applied to move the cart causes dry friction between the wheel and the ground.
Before the wheelbarrow starts moving, the static frictional force acts tangentially to the contact surface, opposing the force that is about to induce the motion. This frictional force prevents the...
Dry Friction01:30

Dry Friction

Dry friction occurs between two solid surfaces in contact as they attempt to move relative to one another. In daily life, dry friction is encountered in various forms, such as when walking on the ground, sliding an object across a table, or rubbing hands together. Despite its ubiquity, the underlying mechanisms behind dry friction are not readily visible.
To illustrate this concept, imagine a wooden crate resting on a rough, non-uniform horizontal surface. When an external force is applied to...
Hydrogen Bonds01:04

Hydrogen Bonds

A hydrogen bond is formed when a weakly positive hydrogen atom already bonded to one electronegative atom (for example, the oxygen in the water molecule) is attracted to another electronegative atom from another polar molecule, such as water (H2O), hydrogen fluoride (HF), or ammonia (NH3). The huge electronegativity difference between the H atom (2.1) and the atom to which it is bonded (4.0 for an F atom, 3.5 for an O atom, or 3.0 for an N atom), combined with the very small size of an H atom...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Computational design of low-volatility lubricants for space using interpretable machine learning.

Journal of cheminformatics·2026
Same author

Lamotrigine Ameliorates Epilepsy during Pregnancy in Rats by Inhibiting Astrocyte Activation via the NLRP3/TXNIP Pathway.

Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology·2026
Same author

Research progress on eravacycline: from pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics to the practice of individualized therapy.

Journal of chemotherapy (Florence, Italy)·2026
Same author

Piperlonguminine inhibits hen egg white lysozyme amyloid fibril formation and mitigates amyloid fibril-induced hepatocellular damage.

Current research in food science·2026
Same author

Machine Learning Predicts ICU In-Hospital Mortality in ARDS Patients Aged 80 and Above: A Multinational Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Shock (Augusta, Ga.)·2026
Same author

Predicting one-year mortality risk in ICU patients with ischemic stroke using multi-algorithm machine learning and a nomogram.

Technology and health care : official journal of the European Society for Engineering and Medicine·2026
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Residue-Free Fabrication of van der Waals Heterostructures of Two-Dimensional Materials
04:57

Residue-Free Fabrication of van der Waals Heterostructures of Two-Dimensional Materials

Published on: July 18, 2025

Atomic roughness enhanced friction on hydrogenated graphene.

Yalin Dong1, Xiawa Wu, Ashlie Martini

  • 1The University of Akron, Akron, OH, USA. yann.dong@gmail.com

Nanotechnology
|August 23, 2013
PubMed
Summary

This study explores how hydrogenation affects friction at the atomic level on graphene surfaces. Using molecular dynamics simulations, the researchers found that hydrogenation increases friction mainly through atomic roughness. Other proposed mechanisms like adhesion and rigidity were ruled out using the Prandtl-Tomlinson model. The study also found that friction does not increase steadily with more hydrogen but instead peaks at a coverage of 5–10%. These findings help clarify the role of surface roughness in friction and could inform the design of graphene-based materials with controlled friction properties.

Keywords:
graphene tribologymolecular dynamics simulationssurface roughnesshydrogen coverage

Frequently Asked Questions

More Related Videos

In Situ High Pressure Hydrogen Tribological Testing of Common Polymer Materials Used in the Hydrogen Delivery Infrastructure
10:01

In Situ High Pressure Hydrogen Tribological Testing of Common Polymer Materials Used in the Hydrogen Delivery Infrastructure

Published on: March 31, 2018

Hydrogen Charging of Aluminum using Friction in Water
07:50

Hydrogen Charging of Aluminum using Friction in Water

Published on: January 28, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 8, 2026

Residue-Free Fabrication of van der Waals Heterostructures of Two-Dimensional Materials
04:57

Residue-Free Fabrication of van der Waals Heterostructures of Two-Dimensional Materials

Published on: July 18, 2025

In Situ High Pressure Hydrogen Tribological Testing of Common Polymer Materials Used in the Hydrogen Delivery Infrastructure
10:01

In Situ High Pressure Hydrogen Tribological Testing of Common Polymer Materials Used in the Hydrogen Delivery Infrastructure

Published on: March 31, 2018

Hydrogen Charging of Aluminum using Friction in Water
07:50

Hydrogen Charging of Aluminum using Friction in Water

Published on: January 28, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Surface physics and tribology
  • Computational materials science
  • Graphene-based nanotechnology

Background:

Friction at the atomic scale remains a complex phenomenon to fully understand. While macroscopic friction is well-characterized, atomic-level interactions are still being explored, particularly in engineered materials like graphene. Prior research has shown that graphene’s structure can influence its tribological properties, but the role of surface modifications such as hydrogenation is less clear. This gap motivated the current study. No prior work had resolved how hydrogenation specifically affects friction at the atomic level. The Prandtl-Tomlinson model has been used to study friction mechanisms, but its application to hydrogenated graphene is novel here. It was already known that surface roughness can influence friction, but the extent to which hydrogenation contributes to this roughness was uncertain. This paper addresses the specific question of whether hydrogenation introduces atomic roughness that enhances friction. The study builds on existing computational methods in tribology to explore this gap.

Purpose Of The Study:

The aim of this study is to determine how hydrogenation affects atomic-level friction on graphene surfaces. The specific problem is to identify whether hydrogenation introduces atomic roughness that enhances friction. The motivation stems from the lack of clarity on the mechanisms behind friction enhancement in hydrogenated graphene. The researchers propose that hydrogenation may alter the surface roughness, leading to increased friction. This paper seeks to clarify whether adhesion or rigidity are also involved in this process. The study focuses on a narrow range of hydrogen coverage to determine if friction increases linearly or reaches a peak. The goal is to isolate the primary mechanism responsible for friction enhancement. This contributes to the broader field of tribology by offering insights into graphene-based materials.

Main Methods:

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to model friction on hydrogenated graphene surfaces. The Prandtl-Tomlinson model was applied to analyze the friction mechanisms. Simulations tracked atomic interactions and surface roughness changes due to hydrogenation. The study varied hydrogen coverage from 0% to 10% to observe frictional responses. Surface roughness was quantified as a key variable in the simulations. Adhesion and rigidity were tested as alternative explanations for friction changes. The simulations excluded these mechanisms to confirm atomic roughness as the primary factor. The results were analyzed to determine if friction increases monotonically with hydrogen coverage.

Main Results:

Hydrogenation significantly increases atomic-level friction on graphene surfaces. The simulations reveal that atomic roughness is the main driver of this friction enhancement. Adhesion and rigidity are not found to be the primary contributors to increased friction. The highest friction occurs at hydrogen coverage between 5% and 10%. This suggests a non-linear relationship between hydrogenation and friction. The Prandtl-Tomlinson model supports the conclusion that roughness is the key factor. No monotonic increase in friction is observed with higher hydrogen coverage. These findings provide a detailed mechanism for friction enhancement in hydrogenated graphene.

Conclusions:

The authors conclude that hydrogenation enhances friction on graphene surfaces primarily through atomic roughness. The simulations exclude adhesion and rigidity as the main contributors to increased friction. The maximum friction occurs at a hydrogen coverage of 5–10%. This finding suggests that surface roughness is the dominant mechanism. The non-linear relationship between hydrogen coverage and friction is a key insight. The results align with the Prandtl-Tomlinson model predictions. The study provides a clearer understanding of atomic-level friction mechanisms. These conclusions are based directly on the simulation data and model analysis.

The authors propose that atomic roughness induced by hydrogenation is the main cause of friction enhancement.

The Prandtl-Tomlinson model was used to exclude adhesion and rigidity as primary contributors to increased friction.

The simulations found maximum friction at this range, suggesting a non-linear relationship with higher coverage.

The model helped analyze friction mechanisms and confirm that roughness, not adhesion or rigidity, is the key factor.

No, the study found that friction reaches a peak at 5–10% hydrogen coverage before decreasing.

The findings suggest that surface roughness is a critical factor in controlling friction in hydrogenated graphene.