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Ultrathin, Oil-Compatible, Lubricious Polymer Coatings: A Comparison of Grafting-To and Grafting-From Strategies

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Abstract

A grafting-to approach is described as a means of fabricating ultrathin, oil-compatible, friction-reducing coatings. The tribological properties of grafted-to coatings of poly(dodecyl methacrylate) (P12MA), prepared by means of a photoactivated perfluorophenylazide adhesion promoter, were compared with those of grafted-from coatings of the same polymer of comparable molecular weight, prepared via surface-initiated, atom-transfer radical polymerisation. It was shown that in a sub-hydrodynamic regime (i.e. boundary/brush lubrication), both coating types can be equivalently effective, exhibiting very low friction coefficients (0.02) against a bare silica countersurface with no detectable wear over the duration of the test (around 1,000 cycles, and maximal Hertzian contact pressure ca 170 MPa as calculated for a bare–bare configuration), providing that sufficiently viscous base lubricants are employed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

    Robert M. Bielecki, Patricia Doll & Nicholas D. Spencer

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  1. Robert M. Bielecki
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  2. Patricia Doll
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  3. Nicholas D. Spencer
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Correspondence to Nicholas D. Spencer.

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Bielecki, R.M., Doll, P. & Spencer, N.D. Ultrathin, Oil-Compatible, Lubricious Polymer Coatings: A Comparison of Grafting-To and Grafting-From Strategies. Tribol Lett 49, 273–280 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-012-0065-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-012-0065-y

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