New publications, experiments and breakthroughs in nanotechnology--and what they mean.
Nano Lube for NEMS
A new way to reduce friction could make nanomachines practical
Source: "Atomic-Scale Control of Friction by Actuation of Nanometer-Sized Contacts"
Anisoara Socoliuc et al.
Science 313: 207-210
Results: Researchers at the University of Basel, Switzerland, have created a practical form of lubrication for nanoscale electromechanical systems (NEMS) that reduces friction between the devices' tiny moving parts 100-fold. The new method is needed because liquid lubricants do not work at the nanoscale, and other dry approaches to reducing friction have been too difficult to use in experimental nanomechanical devices.
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