Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, which have excellent mechanical and tribological properties, have been used for many applications such as magnetic hard disks, dies, gears, cutting tools, and other moving mechanical assemblies. Because those applications center upon mechanical engineering parts, tribological studies of DLC have mainly examined their performance against metal surfaces.
This study investigated the friction properties of DLC films against non-metallic materials such as wood, cloth, and paper. Using direct current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (DC PECVD) technique with tetramethylsilane (TMS) and benzene, DLC film was deposited onto a steel substrate. For the wood surface, the friction coefficient was measured with different moisture contents of wood. Results show that the friction coefficient was lower using DLC coated steel than when using non-coated steel. For wood with high moisture, the DLC treatment increased the friction coefficient.
