Transforming organic molecular films into carbon films as solid lubricants

Abstract

To meet the lubrication demands of future MEMS/NEMS, thickness-controllable carbon films have been successfully prepared directly on silicon substrates by carbonizing electrophoresis-deposited trichloroacetic acid (TCA) molecular films. Compared with easily worn-out TCA molecular films, the transformed carbon films exhibit ultra-low friction coefficients and wear rates, along with strong adhesion to silicon substrates. These results prove that the idea of transforming organic molecular films into carbon thin films is a unique and promising approach to fabricate thickness-controllable and wear-resistant carbon-based solid lubricants for MEMS/NEMS.