Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
07:03
Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
Switching Friction via Sliding Ferroelectricity
Xinjian He1,2, Tongtong Yu1,2, Haoyu Deng1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou730000, China.
Nano Letters
|July 27, 2026
Summary
Researchers demonstrate electrically controlled friction switching in bilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) by reversing ferroelectric polarization. This breakthrough enables tunable friction for advanced interfacial energy management in nanotechnology.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Tribology
Background:
- Controlling friction in atomically thin 2D materials is difficult due to challenges in managing interfacial interactions.
- Switchable internal degrees of freedom offer a promising strategy for interfacial energy dissipation control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To achieve reversible friction modulation in 2D materials using electric fields.
- To explore ferroelectric polarization reversal as a mechanism for friction switching in bilayer 3R-MoS2.
Main Methods:
- Utilized bilayer 3R-MoS2 exhibiting ferroelectric properties.
- Applied electric bias to induce interlayer sliding and ferroelectric polarization reversal.
- Investigated changes in interfacial electronic states, electrostatic interactions, and phonon dissipation.
Main Results:
- Achieved an ultralow friction coefficient of 0.0084 under positive bias due to downward polarization weakening interactions.
- Observed enhanced friction under negative bias with upward polarization strengthening interactions.
- Demonstrated electrically erasable and rewritable friction states with robust switching.
Conclusions:
- Ferroelectric polarization reversal in bilayer 3R-MoS2 enables electric-field controlled friction switching.
- This method offers a pathway for reconfigurable friction control and interfacial energy management in nanoscale devices.
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