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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Analysis of Contact Interfaces for Single GaN Nanowire Devices
Published on: November 15, 2013
The effect of surface texture on the kinetic friction of a nanowire on a substrate
Hongtao Xie1, James Mead1, Shiliang Wang1
1School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland, QLD4072, Australia.
Abstract:
The friction between Al2O3 nanowires and silicon substrates of different surface textures was characterised by use of optical manipulation. It was found that surface textures had significant effect on both the friction and the effective contact area between a nanowire and a substrate. A genetic algorithm was developed to determine the effective contact area between the nanowire and the textured substrate. The frictional force was found to be nearly proportional to the effective contact area, regardless of width, depth, spacing and orientation of the surface textures. Interlocking caused by textured grooves was not observed in this study.
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