Friction of Aromatic Thiols in Contacts of Different Adhesive Strength Available to Purchase

We have used friction force microscopy to study the boundary friction of thiophenol and 2-napthalenethiol monolayers on gold. The strength of the adhesion was altered by working in dry N₂ gas or in ethanol. A contact mechanics model developed by Sridhar, Johnson and Fleck^1,2 (SJF) for a thin, compliant elastic film confined between stiffer substrates was used to evaluate the data in systems with higher adhesion.