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Nanoscale Surface Engineering with Deformation-Resistant Core–Shell Nanostructures

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Abstract

Nano-textured surfaces (NTSs) can reduce adhesion and friction and thus have potential to increase the reliability of micro-electro-mechanical systems and nano-electro-mechanical systems. However, deformation of the nanotextures severely limits the effectiveness of using NTSs. This article presents a novel concept of nano-surface-engineering by texturing the surface with core–shell nanostructures to produce deformation-resistant nanotextures. The NTSs were produced by thermal evaporation of Al on Si substrates to form Al nanostructures and then depositing amorphous silicon on top of Al by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Friction and deformation of the NTSs were studied using a TriboIndenter and a scanning electron microscope. The results show that the novel NTS significantly reduced the coefficients of friction of the surface without any detectable plastic deformations of the nanotextures even after heavy scratches.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Arkansas Biosciences Institute and the University of Arkansas for major equipment funding support. We also thank the US National Science Foundation (NSF) for the support under grants CMS-0600642, CMS-0645040, and the support of the Center for Semiconductor Physics in Nanostructures (C-SPIN), an OU/UA NSF-funded MRSEC (DMR-0520550).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA

    Beau D. Morton, Robert A. Fleming & Min Zou

  2. State Key Laboratory of Traction Power, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China

    Hengyu Wang

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  1. Beau D. Morton
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  2. Hengyu Wang
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  3. Robert A. Fleming
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  4. Min Zou
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Correspondence to Min Zou.

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Morton, B.D., Wang, H., Fleming, R.A. et al. Nanoscale Surface Engineering with Deformation-Resistant Core–Shell Nanostructures. Tribol Lett 42, 51–58 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-011-9747-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-011-9747-0

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