AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Tribology Focus Topic Tuesday Sessions
       Session TR+BI-TuM

Paper TR+BI-TuM9
Surface Analytical and Tribological Characterization of Diamonlike Boundary Films Extracted from Base Mineral and Synthetic Oils

Tuesday, October 30, 2012, 10:40 am, Room 19

Session: Self Healing Coatings, Bio-Inspired Design, and Frictional Properties of Biological Materials
Presenter: A. Erdemir, Argonne National Laboratory
Authors: A. Erdemir, Argonne National Laboratory
O.L. Eryilmaz, Argonne National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
In this study, we explored the possibility of deriving carbon-based bounary films directly from base lubricating oils during tribological tests. For this purpose, we first designed and deposited a series of catalytically active nanocomposite coatings on some steel substrates and by adjusting the ratios of softer phases made out of known catalysts and harder nitride phases (that are also catalytically active), we were able to extract carbon-based boundary films from the base oil molecules and deposit them as protective boundary films on rubbing surfaces. Using UV Raman and variety of other surface and structure analytical techniques,we were able to confirm that these boundary films were indeed similar to those diamonlike carbon films that are typically synthesized using CVD and PVD methods. Some of the main characteristics of resultant DLC boundary films were: very low friction coefficients (less than 0.05) even under extreme sliding conditions and very high resistance to wear and scuffing. In this paper, we will provide insight into the structural and chemical nature of these tribofilms and explain fundamental mechanisms for their impressive tribological properties under severe test conditions.