Nitrogen gas (N2) has been considered as inert and has been used to form atmosphere similar to vacuum. However, it has been shown in these years that friction between Si3N4/CNx [1], CNx/CNx [2], steel/CNx [3] or Diamond/DLC [4] is much smaller in Nitrogen gas than in high vacuum. This paper reviews those recent observations showing low friction in N2 and discusses on its mechanism.

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