![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106123243im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/x.gif) News From the Field 'Heftier' Atoms Reduce Friction at the Nanoscale, Study Led by Penn Researcher Reveals
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106123243im_/http://www.nsf.gov/images/greenlineshort.jpg)
November 1, 2007
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A research team led by a University of Pennsylvania mechanical engineer has discovered that friction between two sliding bodies can be reduced at the molecular, or nanoscale, level by changing the mass of the atoms at the surface. 'Heavier' atoms vibrate at a lower frequency, reducing energy loss during sliding.
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Source University of Pennsylvania
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