Illuminating Pathways to Dynamic Nanotribology: Light-Mediated Active Control of Interfacial Friction with Nanosuspensions.

Active control of nanotribological properties is a challenge. Materials responsive to external stimuli may catalyze this paradigm shift. Recently, the nanofriction of a thin film is modulated by light, ushering in phototribology. This frontier is expanded here, by investigating photoactive nanoparticles in lubricants to confer similar functionality to passive surfaces. Quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) is employed to assess the phototribological behavior of aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. A comparison of dark and illuminated conditions provides the first demonstration of tuning the interfacial friction in solid-nanosuspension interfaces by light. Cyclic tests reveal reversible transitions between higher (dark) and lower friction (illuminated) regimes. These transitions are underpinned by transient states with surface charge variations, as confirmed by Zeta potential measurements. The accumulated surface charge increases repulsion within the system and favors sliding. Upon cessation of illumination, the system returns to its prior equilibrium state. These findings impact not only nanotribology but nanofluidics and nanorheology. Furthermore, the results underscore the need to consider light-induced effects in other scenarios, including the calculation of activity coefficients of photoactive suspensions. This multifaceted study introduces a new dimension to in operando frictional tuning, beckoning a myriad of applications and fundamental insights at the nanoscale.

On the physicochemical origin of nanoscale friction: the polarizability and electronegativity relationship tailoring nanotribology.

Friction is a ubiquitous manifestation of nature, and when it is studied at the nanoscale, complex and interesting effects arise from fundamental physical and chemical surface properties. Surprisingly, and probably due to the complexity of nanofriction studies, this aspect has not been completely discussed in prior studies. To fully consider the physicochemical influence in nanoscale friction, amorphous carbon films with different amounts of hydrogen and fluorine were prepared, chemically characterized, and evaluated via lateral force microscopy. Hydrogen and fluorine were selected because although they exhibit different physicochemical properties, both contribute to frictional force reduction. Indeed, to explain the experimental behavior, it is necessary to propose a new damping constant unifying both polarizability (physical) and electronegativity (chemical) properties. The satisfactory agreement between theory and experiments may encourage and enhance deeper discussion and new experiments that take into account the chemical peculiarities of frictional behavior relating to nanoscale elastic regimes.

Towards superlubricity in nanostructured surfaces: the role of van der Waals forces.

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) thin films have a unique combination of properties that are fundamental in mechanical and electromechanical devices aimed at energy efficiency issues. The literature brings a wealth of information about the ultra-low friction (superlubricity) mechanism in a-C:H thin films. However, there is persistent controversy concerning the physicochemical mechanisms of contact mechanics at the atomic/molecular level and the role of electrical interactions at the sliding interface is still a matter of debate. We find that the hydrogenation of the outermost nanostructured surface atomic layers of a-C:H thin films is proportional to the surface potential and also to the friction forces arising at the sliding interface. A higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratio reduces the surface potential, directly affecting frictional forces by a less effective long-term interaction. The structural ultra-low friction (superlubricity) is attributed to a lower polarizability at the outermost nanostructured layer of a-C:H thin films due to a higher hydrogen density, which renders weaker van der Waals forces, in particular London dispersion forces. More hydrogenated nanodomains at the surface of a-C:H thin films are proposed to be used to tailor superlubricity.

Phototribology: Control of Friction by Light.

In dry sliding, the coefficient of friction depends on the material pair and contact conditions. If the material and operating conditions remain unchanged, the coefficient of friction is constant. Obviously, we can tune friction by surface treatments, but it is a nonreversible process. Here, we report active control of friction forces on TiO2 thin films under UV light. It is reversible and stable and can be tuned/controlled with the light wavelength. The analysis of atomic force microscopy signals by wavelet spectrograms reveals different mechanisms acting in the darkness and under UV. Ab initio simulations on UV light-exposed TiO2 show a lower atomic orbital overlapping on the surface, which leads to a friction reduction of up to 60%. We suggest that photocontrol of friction is due to the modification of atomic orbital interactions from both surfaces at the sliding interface.

Substrate Bias Voltage Tailoring the Interfacial Chemistry of a-SiC x:H: A Surprising Improvement in Adhesion of a-C:H Thin Films Deposited on Ferrous Alloys Controlled by Oxygen.

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films (a-C:H) have attracted much attention because of their surprising properties, including ultralow friction coefficients in specific conditions. Adhesion of a-C:H films on ferrous alloys is poor due to chemical and physical aspects, avoiding a widespread application of such a film. One possibility to overcome this drawback is depositing an interlayer-an intermediate thin film-between the carbon-based coating and the substrate to improve chemical interaction and adhesion. Based on this, interlayers play a key role on a-C:H thin-film adhesion through a better chemical network structure at the outermost layer of the a-SiC x:H interlayer, i.e., the a-C:H/a-SiC x:H interface. However, despite the latest important advances on the subject, the coating adhesion continues being a cumbersome problem since it depends on multifactorial causes. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to report a standard protocol leading to surprising good results based on the control of the interfacial chemical bonding by properly biasing the substrate (between 500 and 800 V) during the a-SiC x:H interlayer deposition at an appropriate low temperature, by using hexamethyldisiloxane as precursor. The interlayers and the outermost interfaces were analyzed by a comprehensive set of techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Nanoscratch tests, complemented by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, were used to evaluate the critical load for delamination to certify and quantify the adhesion improvement. This study was important to identify the chemical local bonding of the elements at the interface and its local environment, including the in-depth chemical composition profile of the coating. An important effect is that the oxygen content decreases on increasing substrate bias voltage, improving the adhesion of the film. This is due to the fact that energetic ion hitting the growing interlayer breaks Si-O and C-O bonds, augmenting the content of Si-C and C-C bonds at the outermost interface of the a-SiC x:H interlayer and enhancing the a-C:H coating adhesion. Moreover, the combination of high bias voltage (800 V) and low temperature (150 °C) during the a-SiC x:H interlayer deposition allows good adhesion of a-C:H thin films due to sputtering of light elements like oxygen. Therefore, an appropriated bias and temperature combination can open new pathways in a-C:H thin-film deposition at low temperatures. These results are particularly interesting for temperature-sensible metal alloys, where well-adhered a-C:H thin films are mandatory for tribological applications.