Super-lubricity of C/sub 60/ monolayer films

The frictional behavior of a C/sub 60/ monolayer film between graphite substrates is studied using a homebuilt surface force apparatus. The mean frictional force from the C/sub 60/ monolayers is estimated to be approximately 2 mN, which is one-fifth that of C/sub 60/ multilayer thin films. The C/sub 60/ monolayer films exhibit a low frictional force of 2 mN up to one hundred scans under a normal stress of 8 MPa, which indicates that the C/sub 60/ monolayer film is highly promising for use as a lubricant.