Nanotribology and MEMS

The tribological phenomena of adhesion, friction, and wear arise when solid objects make contact. As the size of devices shrinks to micro- and nanoscales, the surface-to-volume ratio increases and the effects of body forces (gravity and inertia) become insignificant compared with those of surface forces (van der Waals, capillary, electrostatic, and chemical bonding). In microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), tribological and static interfacial...