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Investigation on the Molecular Shear-Induced Organization in a Molecularly Thin Film of N-hexadecane

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Abstract

The frictional properties of a thin hexadecane film confined between two atomically smooth surfaces of mica were studied using the surface forces apparatus equipped with a 3D actuator–sensor attachment specially designed to investigate static and dynamic forces in three orthogonal directions simultaneously. The use of this attachment allows the relative alignment of the reciprocal sliding motion to be changed by an angle of 90° while maintaining the film under the same confinement conditions. The effects of the commensurability of the confining mica surfaces as well as the relative sliding direction on the frictional behavior of the hexadecane film were determined for different temperatures (18–29 °C) and sliding velocities (4 nm/s to 4 μm/s). The confined hexadecane film exhibited smooth sliding friction whose amplitude increased with the commensuration of the surfaces. A progressive evolution in the kinetic friction force toward a steady-state value was observed over reciprocal sliding motion for given experimental conditions of applied load, sliding velocity and environmental temperature. This friction evolution shows to be dependent on the sliding history of the film and could result from a partial molecular ordering, occurring during shear.

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Abbreviations

β and γ :

Mica optical axis

d :

Surface separation distance

F :

Friction force

F k :

Kinetic friction force

F k,2 :

Kinetic friction force measured during the second oscillation

F st :

Stiction force

F st,2 :

Stiction force measured during the second oscillation

L :

Normal load

T :

Temperature

T m :

Melting temperature

θ :

Surface lattice twist angle

v :

Sliding velocity

ω :

Angle between beta optical axis of the lower surface and the shearing direction

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Acknowledgments

SG and EC thank the Fonds de Recherches sur la Nature et les Technologies (FQRNT) Québec, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Canada, and the Centre for self-assembled chemical structures (CSACS) Montreal, for the financial support. JNI, KK and XB would like to thank the US Department of Energy, Materials Sciences Division for supporting the design of the experiments and the interpretation of the experimental data under Award No. DE-FG02-87ER-45331. XB thanks the Santa Barbara Foundation for their financial support through the Otis Williams Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada

    E. Charrault & S. Giasson

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    X. Banquy, K. Kristiansen & J. Israelachvili

  3. Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    J. Israelachvili

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  1. E. Charrault
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  2. X. Banquy
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  3. K. Kristiansen
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  4. J. Israelachvili
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  5. S. Giasson
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Correspondence to S. Giasson.

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Charrault, E., Banquy, X., Kristiansen, K. et al. Investigation on the Molecular Shear-Induced Organization in a Molecularly Thin Film of N-hexadecane. Tribol Lett 50, 421–430 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-013-0138-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-013-0138-6

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