Aubry pinning transition of twisted two-dimensional material bilayers

Bilayers of 2D materials such as graphene are frictionally pinned at perfect alignment but free sliding (``superlubric'') at large twists. Small-twist bilayers, heavily reconstructed, might equally remain superlubric, or turn spontaneously pinned through a so-called Aubry transition. Here, simulation and theory show that small twist graphene and other 2D bilayers remain unpinned even under high loads. A geometric criterion useful for future microscale friction planning---the width of moir\'e domain walls larger than four lattice spacings---characterizes this robust superlubricity.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physical review. B./Physical review. B
Published
2025-10-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/fmrr-3r5j
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Advanced Materials and Mechanics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.14
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article

Aubry pinning transition of twisted two-dimensional material bilayers

Erio Tosatti, Jin Wang
3 citations
Physical review. B./Physical review. B
Advanced Materials and Mechanics
2.14
article

Aubry pinning transition of twisted two-dimensional material bilayers

Erio Tosatti, Jin Wang
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Bilayers of 2D materials such as graphene are frictionally pinned at perfect alignment but free sliding (``superlubric'') at large twists. Small-twist bilayers, heavily reconstructed, might equally remain superlubric, or turn spontaneously pinned through a so-called Aubry transition. Here, simulation and theory show that small twist graphene and other 2D bilayers remain unpinned even under high loads. A geometric criterion useful for future microscale friction planning---the width of moir\'e domain walls larger than four lattice spacings---characterizes this robust superlubricity.

Physical review. B./Physical review. BVol. 112(15)
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) (IT), Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (IT), International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (IN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Advanced Materials and Mechanics
2.14
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Aubry pinning transition of twisted two-dimensional material bilayers — Erio Tosatti, Jin Wang · Physical review. B./Physical review. B (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS