MICROTRIBOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF SELF-ASSEMBLED AND LANGMUIR-BLODGETT MONOLAYERS BY ATOMIC AND FRICTION FORCE MICROSCOPY

Organized and dense monolayers were produced by chemical grafting of molecules and by Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) deposition. Friction, wear, and indentation of these films on a microscale have been studied using atomic force microscopy/friction force microscopy (AFM/FFM). For comparison, macroscale friction and wear measurements have also been made. Mechanisms of friction, wear, and lubrication of chemical grafted and L-B films are discussed. These studies show that coefficient of friction, wear resistance, and nanoindentation properties of C-18 double-grafted films are superior to those of L-B films.