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Preparation and performance of sol–gel-derived alumina film modified by stearic acid

  • Original Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials with surface modification for applications
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Abstract

Increasing wear resistance of aluminum alloys is of great importance for their practical application. In this paper, we have studied the tribological performance of the assembly of stearic acid on aluminum coated by sol–gel-derived alumina film. The samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, contact angle measurements and a macro-friction and wear tester. The results show that the combination of stearic acid modification and sol–gel-derived alumina film can create superhydrophobic surfaces with a water contact angle of 155° and a sliding angle of 25°. As-obtained superhydrophobic surface can effectively reduced friction and largely increased antiwear life of aluminum, due to the combined beneficial effects of antiwear performance of sol–gel-derived alumina film and nanolubrication of self-assembled stearic acid overcoat.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support by Shandong Taishan Scholarship, Yantai double-hundreds talents plan, National Natural Science Foundation of China (51375249) and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (201410083).

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Correspondence to Y. Wan.

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Qi, C., Zheng, Y., Cao, L. et al. Preparation and performance of sol–gel-derived alumina film modified by stearic acid. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 78, 641–646 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-3989-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-016-3989-0

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