  The concept of superlubricity has recently called upon notable interest after
the demonstration of ultralow friction between atomistically smooth surfaces in
layered materials. However, the energy dissipation process conditioning the
sustainability of superlubric state has not yet been well understood. In this
work, we address this issue by performing dynamic simulations based both on
full-atom and reduced Frenkel-Kontorova models. We find that the center-of-mass
momentum autocorrelation of a sliding object can be used as an indicator of the
state of superlubricity. Beyond a critical value of it, the sliding motion
experiences catastrophic breakdown with a dramatically high rate of energy
dissipation, caused by the inter-vibrational-mode coupling. By tracking this
warning signal, one can extract heat from modes other than the translation to
avoid the catastrophe and extend the lifetime of superlubricity. This concept
is demonstrated in double-walled carbon nanotubes based nanomechanical devices
with indicator-based feedback design implemented.
