For the first time, ETH Zurich Materials Scientists have measured the rolling friction of microscopic, micrometer-sized particles. These measures allow them to better understand common items like ...

The measuring tip of an atomic force microscope with a specially designed holder in which a spherical particle is “trapped”. Lacquers, paint, concrete—and even ketchup or orange juice: Suspensions are ...

The less work required to translate an object, the better. Avoiding sliding friction — a major sinkhole of applied force for motion — is accomplished through rolling. A: Ironically, with increased ...

As a simple theoretical model of a cell adhering to a biological interface, we consider a rigid cylinder moving in a viscous shear flow near a wall. Adhesion forces arise through intermolecular bonds ...

1.1 What is friction? Take this everyday example: when a coffee mug rests on a flat table, the kinetic frictional force is zero. There is no force trying to move the mug across the table, so there is ...

I learned to respect friction, as a phenomenon with many nuances, when I was a graduate student. One day, while teaching a problem session in elementary mechanics, I unwisely invented a new problem to ...

Nanomachines will depend on our knowledge of friction, heat transfer and energy dissipation at the atomic level for their very survival. In the scramble to revolutionize the world with nanotechnology ...

Researchers have demonstrated how to entirely suppress static friction between two surfaces. This means that even a minuscule force suffices to set objects in motion. Especially in micromechanical ...