Abstract
We present a constitutive relation for the friction between surfaces lubricated by grafted monolayer films. A linear instability analysis is used to determine the boundary line in the dynamical phase diagram, separating stick-slip motion from steady sliding. The nature of the transition between stick-slip and steady sliding is studied and is found to be in very good agreement with experiments. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.55.8004 © 1997 The American Physical Society