Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42875460›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Observation of stick-slip behavior with structural superlubric characteristics.

Weipeng Chen, Tielin Wu, Wanying Zhao, Yelingyi Wang, Jin Wang, Deli Peng, Quanshui Zheng, Zhanghui Wu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Weipeng ChenCollege of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-5175-6868
Tielin WuCenter for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Wanying ZhaoTsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Shenzhen, China.
Yelingyi WangCenter for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Jin WangInternational School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3924-2942
Deli PengTsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Shenzhen, China. pengdeli@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6832-2052
Quanshui ZhengCenter for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. zhengqs@tsinghua.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4828-2751
Zhanghui WuCollege of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China. wuzh2025@szu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2505-0050

Funding

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation No. BX20220181National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) No. 11921002National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) No. 12502131Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission No. KQTD20240729102211015
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Stick-slip is typically associated with high friction and wear, whereas superlubricity is characterized by ultralow friction and negligible wear. Can these two seemingly opposite phenomena coexist? Here, we present an experimental observation of stick-slip behavior that exhibits structural superlubric characteristics, in a microscale single-crystalline Au mesa sliding against a single-crystalline graphite substrate. This behavior emerges when the applied sliding velocity falls below a critical threshold. Unlike traditional ones, this observed stick-slip phenomenon originates from the inherently superlubric Au/graphite interface and exhibits key structural superlubric features: near zero coefficient of friction and wear-free long-distance sliding. Theoretical analysis attributes this duality to the distinctive nature of Au/graphite interface: a globally atomically flat incommensurate van der Waals interface, yet locally weakly pinned by discrete point vacancy defects. Bond formation and rupture at these sites underpin the static-dynamic friction asymmetry that drives stick-slip. These findings not only deepen our understanding of stick-slip and structural superlubricity, but also open pathways for stable, long-lasting control of superlubric interfaces in micro/nanoscale actuators and sensors.

Identifiers

PMID42875460
PMCPMC13669355

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.