Ions trapped in a vacuum have simulated the friction of surfaces down to the scale of single atoms, and in the process have demonstrated how some surfaces can slide past each other with almost no energy lost.
Engineers hope that harnessing such ‘superlubricity’ — a counterintuitive phenomenon of almost frictionless sliding — could bring enormous savings by reducing friction between the moving parts of machines. In a typical car, for example, the amount of energy wasted through friction in the engine and transmission is larger than the energy lost to air drag and heating in the tyres.
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