ABSTRACT
Tribology, the study of the interaction between surfaces in contact, spans many disciplines, from physics and chemistry to mechanical engineering and material science, and is of extreme technological importance. In this first chapter on tribology, the key word will be
surface
. This chapter will be rather ambitious in scope in that we will attempt to cover the range from microscopic to macroscopic. We will approach this problem in steps: first considering the fundamental idea of a surface, next recognizing its atomic character and the expectations of a ball model of the atomic structures present. We will then consider more realistic relaxed surfaces and then consider how the class of surface, i.e., metal, semiconductor, or insulator, affects these considerations. Finally, we will present what is expected when a pure material is alloyed and the effects of adsorbates.
