Is friction dominated by electrons or by lattice vibrations? A nano-contact experiment shows that on a niobium (Nb) surface friction drops by a factor of three when crossing the superconductivity ...

(Phys.org)—When nanosized pieces of graphite slide against each other, there can be virtually no friction between them. For many years, superlow friction, or "superlubricity," was known to exist only ...

Researchers in China and Australia have observed superlubricity – the dropping of friction to near zero – on length scales much larger than before. They say that the phenomenon, which they measured in ...