On July 21, reporters learned from the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, that its Nanolubrication Research Group has made significant progress in quantum friction research. The team has, for the first time in experiment, observed quantum friction at solid–solid interfaces, systematically establishing the intrinsic relationship between electron/phonon dissipation and friction, and revealing a topological strain-induced quantum state regulation mechanism for friction. The findings have been published in the international journal Nature Communications.

Using atomic force microscopy tip manipulation technology, the team constructed folded graphene edges with controllable curvature and layer number, and systematically conducted nanoscale friction measurements. The results showed that friction at folded graphene edges exhibits significant nonlinear variation with layer number, violating the applicability of classical friction laws at solid–solid interfaces.

Since 2021, the team spent four years overcoming the challenge of controlled graphene folding and independently developed the world's first ultra-low-temperature quantum friction system dedicated to quantum friction research. The study also completely overturns the traditional belief that friction force scales proportionally with potential barrier height. Instead, the researchers found that quantum friction can be effectively controlled by tuning the material's microstructure.