A golden opportunity for graphene

Reducing friction can limit wear and improve the energy efficiency of mechanical devices. Graphene is a promising lubricant because the friction between sheets is minuscule under certain circumstances. Kawai et al. show that the same ultra-low frictional properties extend to other surfaces. They find ultralow friction when dragging graphene nanoribbons across a gold surface using an atomic force microscope. This discovery sets up the potential for developing nanographene frictionless coatings.