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Superlubric arrays of double-bilayer graphene enable elastically coupled switching between Bernal and rhombohedral graphene polytypes under shear forces below 1 nN with an estimated energy cost of less than 1 fJ per switching event.

This work demonstrates non-Amontons frictional behavior and negative differential friction coefficients at graphene/Pt(111) surface grain boundaries due to dynamic buckling of dislocations, providing vital insights for the design of macroscopic dry superlubric contacts.

Super-low friction between centimetre-long concentric carbon nanotubes has been observed in ambient conditions.

A strategy for the transfer-free direct growth of ultralong, high-quality graphene nanoribbons, which have desirable electronic properties, between layers of a boron nitride insulator is reported.

Traditional approaches provide limited information on enzyme kinetics. Here, the authors derive high-order Michaelis-Menten equations, enabling inference of hidden parameters like binding rates and enzyme-substrate lifetimes, advancing enzymology beyond classical methods.

Achieving ultra-low friction at macroscopic scales is highly desirable. In this work molecular dynamics simulations of graphitic contacts incorporating corrugated grain boundaries reveal an unusual non-monotonic variation of friction with normal load and temperature due to dynamic buckling effects.

Energy harvesting devices based on micro-electromechanisms (MEMS) is attractive for sustainable energy applications. Here, the authors report the theoretical working principle of a lightweight, low-voltage AC-current generating MEMS-based capacitive rotor device for Watts-level power generation from everyday walking.

500 years after the first studies on friction, the concepts of superlubricity, wearless sliding and friction control are being realized in laboratories and have become predictable by adequate modelling. The challenge now is to bridge the gap between what is known about these processes on the microscopic and macroscopic scales.

Heterogeneous microscale contacts between molybdenum disulfide and graphene or hexagonal boron nitride layers demonstrate ultralow friction independent of their relative orientation with residual drag that originates from edge effects.

Molecular dynamics simulations of water molecules inside carbon nanotubes show a strong coupling between the flow of water and the phonon modes of nanotubes that enhance diffusion.

Surface potential measurements of parallel WSe₂ and MoS₂ multi-layers with aligned and anti-aligned configurations of the polar interfaces were conducted showing evenly spaced, nearly decoupled potential steps, indicative of highly confined interfacial electric fields.

Robust structural superlubricity is experimentally realized in microscale monocrystalline graphite/hBN heterojunctions. The friction anisotropy upon crystal reorientation is orders of magnitude smaller than that of homogeneous graphite contacts.

Single molecule approaches demonstrated that enzymatic catalysis is stochastic which could lead to deviations from classical predictions. Here authors rebuild the theory of enzymatic inhibition to show that stochastic fluctuations on the single enzyme level could make inhibitors act as activators.

Nanoplasmonic structures that can detect trace analytes via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy typically require sophisticated nanofabrication techniques. Self-assembly of gold nanoparticles into close-packed arrays at liquid/liquid and liquid/air interfaces is now used for the detection of multi-analytes from aqueous, organic or air phases.

This Review discusses the development of electronanotribology, its intersection with room-temperature ionic liquids and how such collaboration can be used to electrically control friction at the nanoscale.

Structural lubricity is one of the most interesting concepts in modern tribology, which promises to achieve ultra-low friction over a wide range of length-scales. Here the authors highlight novel research lines in this area achievable by combining theoretical and experimental efforts on hard two-dimensional materials and soft colloidal and cold ion systems.

The phenomenon of ultralow friction between sliding incommensurate crystal surfaces—structural superlubricity—is examined, and the challenges and opportunities involved in its extension to the macroscale are assessed.