Correlation of adhesion force and electrical conductivity in Magnéli-type vanadium oxides and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

► Investigation of vanadium oxide and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). ► A correlation of adhesion force and electrical conductivity is established. ► Vanadium oxide and HOPG can exhibit both metallic and non-metallic characteristics. ► The adhesion force is lower in metallic than in non metallic situations. ► These results are supported by subsequent measurements on single crystal metals.