Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Sliding Friction Between Crystalline Cotton Fiber and Cr

The effects of load and temperature on the friction between crystalline cotton cellulose and chromium in vacuum were investigated utilizing ReaxFF molecular dynamics. Simulation results indicate that a new chemical bond, Cr=O bond, is formed between the sliding friction interface. In the initial stage, the friction force is determined by the number of atoms in contact with the interface. Then, the friction force depends on the number of atoms of cellulose nested in the chromium matrix at the contact interface. It is positively correlated with load and temperature. Under low load, with the formation of the Cr=O bond, the surface structure of the chromium matrix is damaged. With the increase of load, more Cr=O bonds are formed between the contact interfaces, which leads to more profound damage to the surface structure of the chromium layer. This work systematically introduces the influence mechanism of load and temperature on the friction behavior of crystalline cotton cellulose with chromium, thus providing a new perspective on the study of frictional wear mechanism between cotton cellulose and metal.