Effect of temperature on kinetic nanofriction of a Brownian adparticle

Brownian motion of a single nanoparticle on surface, which was recently found far below room temperature, poses an opportunity to study kinetic nanofriction and a challenge to develop high-performance nanoelectromechanical devices. Using a prototypical C-60/graphene system, we study the variation of kinetic nanofriction coefficient with temperature in the Brownian regime. Our molecular dynamics simulations reveal the kinetic nanofriction coefficient decreases by increasing the temperature, and its temperature dependence follows an Arrhenius form with two distinct regimes that have a crossover merely by changing the temperature. Such temperature dependence is compatible with the mechanisms of interactions between the admolecule and substrate. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.