Lubricated friction on nanopatterned surfaces via molecular dynamics simulations

Recent studies have proved the usefulness of macroscopic surface patterning for the improvement of tribological performances of sliding contacts. Here we investigate the effects of scaling down the texturing dimensions to the nanoscale. By means of classical molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the sliding frictional properties of a thin lubricant film are significantly affected by the presence of nanoscale superficial patterning of the moving confining walls, leading to a 'mitigation' of the so-called stick-slip regime and to a consequent reduction of friction. We believe these findings to be relevant for nanotechnology applications.