Challenges to Tribology Arisen from the Development of Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing Technology

A review was given on the development of micro- and nano-manufacturing technology and its challenges to tribology. It was pointed out that with the ceaseless development of high technologies of spaceflight, information, instruments, and military equipment towards micromation and high-precision, micro- and nano-manufacturing technology has been increasingly focused on. With the size of device decreasing from millimeter scale to micrometer scale or even nanometer scale, surface forces become a dominant role. In this case the conventional rules and control methods for the surface and interface behaviors of micro-sized devices could be invalid. It is imperative to find new theories and methodologies to deal with the surface and tribological problems concerning the micro- and nano-scale devices, including friction, wear, lubrication behavior, and mechanical and chemical properties. Moreover, it was suggested that many of the vital technologies in the micro- and nano-manufacturing would be related to nanoscale wear, nanogap lubrication, manufacture and modification of low-energy surfaces, friction and adhesion between the interfaces, active control of friction, and ultra-lubrication. It was anticipated that solving those problems would contribute greatly to speed up the development of micro- and nano-manufacturing technology.