Characteristic tribological properties, such as nonlinearity of the friction force-normal load curve, high coefficient of friction, and good wear-resistant performance were observed on densely packed, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with different diameters and lengths using atomic force microscopy. Shorter and thicker CNTs were found to have higher coefficients of friction. The observed properties were attributed to the nonlinear elastic property of the CNTs caused by buckling.
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