Phys. Rev. B 80, 155438 (2009) [7 pages]Origin of the isotope effect on solid frictionReceived 19 June 2009; revised 20 September 2009; published 19 October 2009 Friction of hydrogen-passivated surfaces can be reduced by replacing terminating hydrogen atoms with heavier deuteriums. Using molecular-dynamics simulations, we show that this experimentally observed isotope effect can be explained quantitatively by small differences in surface coverage, which are due to isotope-dependent bond stabilities. We also demonstrate that a change in vibrational frequencies alone does not account for an isotope-dependent solid friction in our model system. © 2009 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.155438
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevB.80.155438
PACS:
81.40.Pq, 68.35.Np, 68.43.Nr, 68.43.Pq
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