Metal‐Insulator Transitions: Crossing Thermal Lubricity and Electronic Effects in Friction: Vanadium Dioxide under the Metal–Insulator Transition (Adv. Mater. Interfaces 2/2016)

In article number 1500388, J. Wu, J. Y. Park, and co-workers present a new route to control friction in micro- and nanomechanical applications. The combined effect of phonons and electrons in friction is investigated by probing the nanotribological and electrical properties of VO2 across a thermally-driven metal–insulator transition temperature. Depending on whether it is insulating or metallic, the friction of VO2 behaves quite differently with temperature.