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Molecular layering of liquids in nanometer-scale confinement is demonstrated for typical lubricant constituents such as polyalphaolefins (PAO) and an ester by means of atomic force microscopy. Layering is observed in force vs. distance curves for poly-(1-decene) tetramers (PAO6) and undecamers (PAO40) and for a 2-ethylhexyl monoester on graphite, mica, and polished steel surfaces and is compared to the layering of hexadecane and 1-hexadecene. On graphite surfaces, the confined molecules are oriented parallel to the surfaces for all liquids, resulting in layers with a thickness comparable to the diameter of the alkyl chains. On mica, confined hexadecane molecules also lie parallel to the surface, while the molecules in the first layer of 1-hexadecene and PAOs take a more upright orientation. Confinement on the oxidized polished steel surfaces results in a molecular layering which most often resembles the layering on graphite and differs significantly from layering on the ionic oxide mica.

Friction and wear of a commercially available polyetheretherketone were investigated by two different testing approaches, namely the standard pin-on-disc (POD) configuration and an unidirectional pin-on-flat (POF) scratch test, in a wide range of pv-products from 0.001 to 8 MPa m/s under dry sliding condition. It was found that the steady state friction coefficient gained from POD tests slightly decreases with increasing sliding velocity from 0.1 to 1 m/s, further increase in the velocity to 4 m/s results in an obvious raise of the friction coefficient. It is assumed that this increase can be attributed to the high interfacial temperature induced strong adhesion between PEEK surface and steel counterbody. No obvious difference of the friction coefficients between POD and POF tests is noted in the studied range. With respect to the wear rate, the wear rate measured from POD increases with monotonously increasing velocity. Possible reasons for these observations are discussed based on the analysis of the worn surfaces of polymer samples and transfer films formed on the steel counterface as well as the investigations on the thermal characteristics of different tribo-systems.

In this work we report the use of polarization active porous 1D Bragg microcavities (BM) prepared by physical vapor deposition at oblique angles for the optofluidic analysis of liquid solutions. These photonic structures consist of a series of stacked highly porous layers of two materials with different refractive indices and high birefringence. Their operational principle implies filling the pores with the analyzed liquid while monitoring with linearly polarized light the associated changes in optical response as a function of the solution refractive index. The response of both polarization active and inactive BMs as optofluidic sensors for the determination of glucose concentration in water solutions has been systematically compared. Different methods of detection, including monitoring the BM wave retarder behavior, are critically compared for both low and high glucose concentrations. Data are taken in transmission and reflection modes and different options explored to prove the incorporation of these nanostructured transducers into microfluidic systems and/or onto the tip of an optical fiber. This analysis has proven the advantages of the polarization active transducer sensors for the optofluidic analysis of liquids and their robustness even in the presence of light source instabilities or misalignments of the optical system used for detection.

Water-soluble shape-persistent cyclodextrin (CD) polymers with amino-functionalized end groups were prepared starting from diacetylene-modified cyclodextrin monomers by a combined Glaser coupling/click chemistry approach. Structural perfection of the neutral CD polymers and inclusion complex formation with ditopic and monotopic guest molecules were proven by MALDI–TOF and UV–vis measurements. Small-angle neutron and X-ray (SANS/SAXS) scattering experiments confirm the stiffness of the polymer chains with an apparent contour length of about 130 Å. Surface modification of planar silicon wafers as well as AFM tips was realized by covalent bound formation between the terminal amino groups of the CD polymer and a reactive isothiocyanate–silane monolayer. Atomic force measurements of CD polymer decorated surfaces show enhanced supramolecular interaction energies which can be attributed to multiple inclusion complexes based on the rigidity of the polymer backbone and the regular configuration of the CD moieties. Depending on the geometrical configuration of attachment anisotropic adhesion characteristics of the polymer system can be distinguished between a peeling and a shearing mechanism.

Self-assembled monolayers introduce chemical functionalities to material surfaces, providing a route to tune their equilibrium and dynamical properties. We report on atomic force microscopy measurements and simulations of adhesion and friction forces caused by a macromolecular host–guest system, where the host molecules are attached to silicon oxide surfaces by means of self-assembled silane layers. Different preparation routes for the silane layers lead to different flexibility of the molecular attachment. The velocity dependencies of the work of separation and of friction vary significantly for attachments with different flexibility. Stiff attachment leads to low pull-off forces at low pulling velocity and to vanishing friction forces in the limit of low sliding velocity. Flexible attachment enhances cooperative contribution of multiple molecular bonds to adhesion and friction and causes significant friction at low sliding velocity. The latter observation can be explained by the contribution of intermittent contact aging to the friction force.

In single-molecule force spectroscopy, the unbinding force is often used to quantify the interaction strength of single molecular bonds. We analyze force spectroscopy of fast reversible bonds probed in thermodynamic equilibrium by considering the dynamics of force probe and molecular linker. The effect of cantilever and linker dynamics is systematically addressed by measuring the unbinding force of single cyclodextrin inclusion complexes by atomic force spectroscopy for a variety of molecular linkers and varying force probe stiffness. The unbinding force of individual bonds probed in thermodynamic equilibrium is not unique for the molecular system but scales with , the square root of the force probe stiffness, and is largely independent of the molecular linker stiffness. The observations are explained by an effective potential resulting from fast linker fluctuations and fast rebinding kinetics which is probed by an AFM cantilever. The slow cantilever dynamics in the kHz range act as mechanical low pass filter, allowing for fast rebinding kinetics of the molecular complex in the order of 106 kHz. The binding energy of the complex can be estimated from the unbinding force as a function of cantilever stiffness, however with some uncertainty arising from lack of a model in three dimensions.

The nanoscale lubrication properties of graphene depend on chemical functionalization, adsorbants, and bonding to the substrate. The dependence of friction on the rotational orientation of graphene on a Pt(111) surface was studied by high-resolution friction force microscopy in ultra-high vacuum and interpreted through complementary simulations. Lateral forces reveal an atomic-scale stick-slip motion with the periodicity of the graphene structure. Additionally, the lateral forces were modulated by a Moiré pattern, which depends on the rotation of the respective domain. Comparing the experimental results to simulations of the friction process based on the Prandtl-Tomlinson model and to atomistic simulations of the tip-sample interactions, it was found that the modulation of lateral forces originated from a structural mismatch between Pt(111) and graphene domains that were locally pinned to the substrate. Domains with preferred orientations, such as the R1° and the R24°, appeared to exhibit lower average friction than those with orientations less frequently observed, such as the R10° domain.

Thermally grown surface oxide layers dominate the single-asperity tribological behavior of a Zr60Cu30Al10 glass. Increase in oxidation time leads to an increased contribution of shearing and a corresponding decreased contribution of ploughing to friction. This change in the dominating friction and wear mechanism results in an overall minor decrease of the friction coefficient of oxidized surfaces compared to the metallic glass sample with native surface oxide. Our results demonstrate the importance of creating a stable oxide layer for practical applications of metallic glasses in micro-devices involving sliding contact.

The confinement of liquids in nanometer-scale gaps can lead to changes in their viscous shear properties. For liquids of polar molecules, the charge state of the confining surfaces has a significant influence on the structure in the confined liquid. Here we report on the implementation of dynamic shear force microscopy in an electrochemical cell. Lateral oscillations of the tip of an atomic force microscope were magnetically activated at a frequency of about 50 kHz. The damping of the lateral tip oscillation was recorded as a function of the tip-sample distance and of the electrode potential at the surface of a Au(100) single crystal electrode. The influence of surface charges on the shear response of the nano-confined liquids was demonstrated for the ionic liquid [EMIM][NTf2] and for aqueous Na2SO4 solution.