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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 92: Post-Deadline Session
O 92.4: Talk
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 20:15–20:30, HSZ/AUDI
Sliding friction over individual aromatic bonds correlates with bond order — Shinjae Nam1, Lukas Hörmann2, Oliver Gretz1, Oliver T. Hofmann3, Franz J. Giessibl1, and •Alfred J. Weymouth1 — 1University of Regensburg, Germany — 2University of Warwick, U.K. (now at TU Wien) — 3TU Graz, Austria
How do you measure how smooth or rough something is? Do you rub your finger over it to feel it? The profile you feel can tell you a lot about what it is. What about chemical bonds? Could we slide something over individual chemical bonds and tell something about them? We modified an atomic force microscope so that the tip oscillates laterally (lateral force microscopy, or LFM) and terminated the end with a single carbon monoxide molecule. [1] Then we position the tip over a bond and oscillate, measuring the energy loss. [2] Our calculations show that the maximum energy loss, dissipated during sliding friction, correlates with the bond order of the bond. In other words, bond have a “shape” dictated by their bond order that we are sensitive to with LFM. [3]
[1] L. Gross, F. Mohn, N. Moll, P. Liljeroth, G. Meyer. Science 325, 1110 (2009).
[2] A.J. Weymouth, E. Riegel, O. Gretz, F.J. Giessibl. Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 196101 (2020).
[3] S. Nam, L. Hörmann, O. Gretz, O.T. Hofmann, F.J. Giessibl, A.J. Weymouth. Nat. Comm. accepted (2026).
Keywords: Chemical bond; Lateral force microscopy; Energy dissipation