Effect of Lubricant Additives on the Tribological Properties of Nanostripe Surfaces

Abstract

The tribological properties of nanostripe surfaces were investigated to examine the effects of lubricant additives. The authors fabricated a nanostripe structure by depositing an Au-Cr multilayer film on a microscale slope array and mechanical polishing. Au and Cr flat surfaces were also prepared for comparison. Friction tests were performed using a pin-on-plate tribometer. After the friction tests the surfaces were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Poly-alpha-olefin (PAO) and PAO with acid phosphate ester (APE) were used as the lubricants, and the pins were made of glass. The results of the friction tests showed that APE effectively reduced the friction coefficients and wear for the Au-Cr nanostripe surface, Au flat surface and Cr flat surface.