Thermodynamic aspects of nanoscale friction

Abstract

Developing the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of friction is required for systematic design of low friction surfaces for a broad range of technological applications. Intuitively, the thermodynamic work done by a material sliding along a surface is expected to be partially dissipated as heat and partially transformed into the change of the internal energy of the system. However, general non-equilibrium thermodynamic principles governing this separation are presently unknown. We develop a theoretical framework based on the transition state theory combined with the conventional Prandtl-Tomlinson model, allowing to set explicit expressions for evaluating the heat dissipation and internal energy change produced during the frictional stick-slip motion of a tip of a typical friction force microscope (FFM). We use the formalism to quantify the heat dissipation for a range of parameters relevant to materials in practical applications of nanoscale friction.