American Physical Society, Physical Review Letters, 8(102), 2009
DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.102.086102
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We have studied friction and dissipation in single and bilayer graphene films grown epitaxially on SiC. The friction on SiC is greatly reduced by a single layer of graphene and reduced by another factor of 2 on bilayer graphene. The friction contrast between single and bilayer graphene arises from a dramatic difference in electron-phonon coupling, which we discovered by means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Bilayer graphene as a lubricant outperforms even graphite due to reduced adhesion.