Prestress effect on friction reduction of multilayer suspended h-BN

Prestress manifests on multilayer suspended two-dimensional materials, significantly influencing their friction characteristics. Here, friction of multilayer suspended h-BN to varying prestress levels was quantified through atomic force microscopy (AFM). Friction diminishes as prestress escalates from the center to the edge and the time after the suspended h-BN is prepared. Finite element simulation figures out that prestress broads the contact geometry of multilayer suspended h-BN. Synchronous reduction of the contact area and the interfacial shear strength results in friction reduction. The depressed strengthening effect and stick-slip asymmetry confirm that prestress regulated the contact quality. This work demonstrates that the prestress can provide an additional strategy for friction modulation of two-dimensional materials.