Liamas, E orcid.org/0000-0001-9294-6343, Connell, SD orcid.org/0000-0003-2500-5724, Zembyla, M orcid.org/0000-0001-7913-5829 et al. (2 more authors) (2021) Friction between soft contacts at nanoscale on uncoated and protein-coated surfaces. Nanoscale, 13 (4). pp. 2350-2367. ISSN 2040-3364
Abstract
The understanding of friction on soft sliding biological surfaces at the nanoscale is poorly understood as hard interfaces are frequently used as model systems. Herein, we studied the influence of elastic modulus on the frictional properties of model surfaces at the nanoscale for the first time. We prepared model silicone-based elastomer surfaces with tuneable modulus ranging from hundreds of kPa to a few MPa, similar to those found in real biological surfaces, and employed atomic force microscopy to characterize their modulus, adhesion, and surface morphology. Consequently, we used friction force microscopy to investigate nanoscale friction in hard-soft and soft-soft contacts using spherical colloidal probes covered by adsorbed protein films. Unprecedented results from this study reveal that modulus of a surface can have a significant impact on the frictional properties of protein-coated surfaces with higher deformability leading to lower contact pressure and, consequently, decreased friction. These important results pave the way forward for designing new functional surfaces for serving as models of appropriate deformability to replicate the mechanical properties of the biological structures and processes for accurate friction measurements at nanoscale.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020. his article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Keywords: | AFM; FFM; PDMS; Lubrication; Tribology; Modulus; Atomic force microscopy |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Molecular & Nanoscale Physics The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Food Science and Nutrition (Leeds) > FSN Colloids and Food Processing (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EU - European Union 757993 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Dec 2020 12:51 |
Last Modified: | 08 Jan 2025 13:05 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Royal Society of Chemistry |
Identification Number: | 10.1039/D0NR06527G |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:168933 |