EVERYDAY MATERIALSAtlas
Material behaviour

Friction & sliding

Control resistance between surfaces.

What it means

Friction is the resistance associated with surfaces moving or tending to move against one another. It belongs to a contact system, not just one material: the other surface, roughness, load, speed, temperature and lubrication matter. Layered structures and low-shear interfaces can help reduce sliding resistance, while tyres deliberately need useful grip.

Look for it in everyday life.

PTFE is useful in some low-friction surfaces; graphite can act as a solid lubricant under suitable conditions.

Meet it in a material.

Graphite

From a pencil mark to a battery electrode.

Elements & minerals

PTFE

A low-friction surface with specific limits.

Polymers

Natural rubber

Tree latex becomes a resilient engineered material.

Natural materials

Bronze

An alloy name with several branches.

Metals

Polyacetal (POM)

Small moving parts that keep their geometry.

Polymers

Follow the evidence

Original explanations informed by the sources below. Technical and industry sources support material behaviour; industry environmental marketing is not treated as a universal comparison. Read our editorial method.