Friction Properties at Cu-SiO2-Cu Contact Interface Considering the Effect of Nanoscale SiO2 Particles

MA Jinlan; ZHANG Xiao; TONG Ruiting; ZHANG Haochen; ZHANG Runcheng

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.13.009

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Surface Technology ›› 2026, Vol. 55 ›› Issue (13) : 99-110. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2026.13.009

Friction, Wear and Lubrication

Friction Properties at Cu-SiO₂-Cu Contact Interface Considering the Effect of Nanoscale SiO₂ Particles

MA Jinlan¹, ZHANG Xiao², TONG Ruiting^1,*, ZHANG Haochen¹, ZHANG Runcheng¹

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Abstract

To investigate the friction mechanism at the Cu-SiO₂-Cu contact interface considering the effect of nanoscale SiO₂ particles, the work aims to develop a nanoscale Cu-SiO₂-Cu three-body contact model by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, in which Cu-Cu interactions are described by an embedded atom method (EAM) potential, Si-O-Si interactions in SiO₂ are modeled with a Tersoff potential, Cu-Si interactions are captured by a Morse potential, and Cu-O interactions are represented by a Lennard-Jones (LJ) potential with parameters determined via the Lorentz-Berthelot mixing rule. In this model, the Cu substrate was regarded as a soft metallic lubricating layer, while SiO₂ particles were introduced into the interface as third bodies. The effects of particle size, particle morphology, and substrate sliding velocity on the frictional behaviors of the Cu-Cu interface were systematically investigated. To reveal the underlying atomic-scale mechanisms, the friction forces, the displacement of the particle's center of mass, and the von Mises stress and temperature distribution of Cu atoms were analyzed. A pronounced size-dependent behavior was observed. When the particle radius was 1 nm, strong interfacial adhesion and localized plastic deformation resulted in the highest average friction force of 1.4 nN. As the particle radius increased to 2 nm, the rolling contact reduced the average friction force to 0.5 nN. When the size of the particle further increased, the friction force increased due to the increasing contact area and the suppression of rolling contact process. Increasing the indentation depth intensified the plastic deformation and plowing behavior within the contact zone, leading to a great increase in friction force. The effect of substrate sliding velocity on the friction force showed a distinct non-monotonic behavior, characterized by an initial decrease followed by a subsequent increase. At a low sliding velocity of 10 m/s, the interface showed apparent stick-slip behaviors, and the average friction force reached 0.73 nN. When the velocity increased to 80 m/s, the adhesion duration between the SiO₂ particle and Cu substrate became shorter, and the average friction force decreased by 31.5%, down to 0.50 nN. As the sliding velocity increased further to 320 m/s, frictional heat accumulated rapidly, and localized plastic flow occurred at the contact interface, which made the friction force increase again. In addition to velocity and size effects, particle morphology also played a crucial role. Compared with smooth spherical SiO₂ particles, non-spherical particles with sharp edges generated greater local stress concentrations and more severe plowing effects. These effects were accompanied by a rapid local temperature rise, resulting in higher friction forces and larger fluctuation amplitudes. When acting as third bodies, SiO₂ particles with moderate size and smooth surfaces enabled a combined rolling-sliding motion, thereby exhibiting a "nano-bearing effect" that effectively reduced the friction forces. In contrast, for the cases of excessively small particles or those with sharp surface morphologies, the friction process were dominated by strong adhesion and plowing, which intensified interfacial energy dissipation and led to higher friction forces. For oversized particles, excessive indentation depths and high sliding velocities increased friction forces through geometric confinement, shear localization, and thermal accumulation effects.

Key words

molecular dynamics / SiO₂ particles / Cu-SiO₂-Cu / three-body contact / sliding contact

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MA Jinlan, ZHANG Xiao, TONG Ruiting, ZHANG Haochen, ZHANG Runcheng. Friction Properties at Cu-SiO₂-Cu Contact Interface Considering the Effect of Nanoscale SiO₂ Particles[J]. Surface Technology. 2026, 55(13): 99-110

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