@article{Ito2026, 
author = {Kazushi Ito and Satoru Maegawa and Izumi Yoshida and Xiaoxu Liu and Fumihiro Itoigawa and Naoya Amino},
title = {Friction control in soft materials enabled through local stick−slip motion at contact interface},
year = {2026},
journal = {Friction},
volume = {14},
number = {3},
pages = {9441167},
keywords = {soft materials, friction control, stiffness inhomogeneity, stick−slip},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441167},
doi = {10.26599/FRICT.2025.9441167},
abstract = {This paper presents a novel friction control method that introduces internal stiffness inhomogeneity into soft material surfaces that slide on rough surfaces. This approach involves embedding hard particles within a soft material to control friction. When these particles encounter asperities on a rough surface during sliding, they trigger a local stick−slip-like motion that leads to energy dissipation and increased macroscopic friction. The validity of the concept was demonstrated through experiments using a simplified setup with triangular periodic one-dimensional roughness. This method is expected to be useful for designing various soft material sliding surfaces.}
}