[T]he simulations proved successful. The graphene patches spontaneously rolled around the nanodiamonds, which held the scrolls in place and resulted in sustained superlubricity. The simulation results fed into a new set of experiments with nanodiamonds that confirmed the same.
"The beauty of this particular discovery is that we were able to see sustained superlubricity at the macroscale for the first time, proving this mechanism can be used at engineering scales for real-world applications," Sankaranarayanan said. "This collaborative effort is a perfect example of how computation can help in the design and discovery of new materials."