Layered crystalline materials, also called 2D materials, is a broad family of crystalline materials that consist of atomically thin lattice structures with weak interlayer interactions. Recent discoveries in materials science uncover that due to their atomic scale smoothness and the nature of the weak interlayer interactions, they are promising candidates for surface coatings, for applications ranging from solid lubrication to flexible electronics. However, a comprehensive study on the durability of these coatings in sliding conditions is still not conducted. To have an analytical framework, characterizing the initiation of wear induced material damage in the atomic scale is critical. Here, an atomically sharp (r ~10 nm) tip was used to scratch layered crystalline materials with elemental compositions by controlled normal force and velocity to damage the materials, and to characterize the mechanisms acting during the friction induced material removal process. Two distinct mechanisms acting on different time scales have been observed, and surface properties such as hydrophobicity and monolayer mechanical properties were found to be the governing parameters for the initiation of atomic scale wear on layered crystalline materials.
Alper got his Bachelor's and Master's degree in 2015 from Bilkent University (Ankara, Turkey) in Mechanical Engineering where he started working in Prof. Mehmet Baykara's group on the topic of superlubricity. Later on, he started at the University of Jena working on his PhD which he continued at TU Dresden on the field of nanotribology.
Layered crystalline materials, also called 2D materials, is a broad family of crystalline materials that consist of atomically thin lattice structures with weak interlayer interactions. Recent discoveries in materials science uncover that due to their atomic scale smoothness and the nature of the weak interlayer interactions, they are promising candidates for surface coatings, for applications ranging from solid lubrication to flexible electronics. However, a comprehensive study on the durability of these coatings in sliding conditions is still not conducted. To have an analytical framework, characterizing the initiation of wear induced material damage in the atomic scale is critical. Here, an atomically sharp (r ~10 nm) tip was used to scratch layered crystalline materials with elemental compositions by controlled normal force and velocity to damage the materials, and to characterize the mechanisms acting during the friction induced material removal process. Two distinct mechanisms acting on different time scales have been observed, and surface properties such as hydrophobicity and monolayer mechanical properties were found to be the governing parameters for the initiation of atomic scale wear on layered crystalline materials.
Alper got his Bachelor's and Master's degree in 2015 from Bilkent University (Ankara, Turkey) in Mechanical Engineering where he started working in Prof. Mehmet Baykara's group on the topic of superlubricity. Later on, he started at the University of Jena working on his PhD which he continued at TU Dresden on the field of nanotribology.
