Effects of Surface Ions on the Friction and Adhesion Properties of Mica

Friction Force Microscopy studies on ion-exchanged mica surfaces at different humidity levels were performed. Ion exchange was achieved by treating the potassium mica (muscovite) in different solutions to replace K+ surface ions by Ca2+, Mg2+, and H+. It is found that these different surface ions can significantly modify the tribological properties of mica.