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Composite Lubricating Films with Silane Coupling Agent-Modified Carbon Nanotubes on a Silicon Substrate with Enhanced Wear-Resistant Properties

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Abstract

A modified carbon nanotube composite film was designed and prepared by self-assembled molecular film technology. The carbon nanotubes modified by 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxy-silane (KH560) were grafted onto a silicon substrate by using N-3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylethyl-enediamine (DA) molecules as an intermediate connecting layer. Compared with the silicon surface, the surface wettability of the modified carbon nanotube composite thin film changes from super-hydrophilic to hydrophobic. At the nanoscale, the surface adhesion and friction forces decreased by nearly 91% and 87%, respectively, and at the microscale, the friction coefficient was reduced by 84%. The anti-wear lifetime is prolonged to 72 min under an applied load of 1 N, which is over 35 times longer than that of silicon. Due to the great wear-resistant properties of modified carbon nanotubes, they are expected to be widely used in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52175191) and the Nature Science Foundation of Hunan Province (21B0118).

Funding

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52175191) and the Nature Science Foundation of Hunan Province (Grant No. 21B0118).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Research Center of Complex Tracks Processing Technology and Equipment of Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, 411105, People’s Republic of China

    Sisi Liu, Yuxing Deng, He Sun, Shengqiang Jiang & Jingang Liu

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  1. Sisi Liu
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  2. Yuxing Deng
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  3. He Sun
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  4. Shengqiang Jiang
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  5. Jingang Liu
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Correspondence to Sisi Liu.

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Liu, S., Deng, Y., Sun, H. et al. Composite Lubricating Films with Silane Coupling Agent-Modified Carbon Nanotubes on a Silicon Substrate with Enhanced Wear-Resistant Properties. Tribol Lett 70, 111 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-022-01650-y

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