Velocity Dependence of Friction and Hydrogen Bonding Effects

We show that the friction force varies with the sliding velocity in a manner that depends on the chemical nature of the interface. Surfaces terminated with the hydrogen acceptor and donor moieties capable of forming H-bond networks exhibit a friction that decreases with sliding velocity, a behavior that is opposite to that of surfaces where no such networks can form. We explain the results with a model where the domains of glassy H-bond networks are disrupted at a critical applied stress leading to slippage.