A dislocation mechanism was proposed for friction between an atomic-force microscopic probe and an atomically smooth solid surface. In this mechanism, the contact region was represented by an edge dislocation. Tribo-acoustic emissions, measured using an atomic-force microscope, showed the dislocation nature of friction.

A Dislocation Mechanism of Friction between a Nanoprobe and Solid Surface. S.S.Rekhviashvili: Technical Physics, 2002, 47[2], 278-80