Bridging the gap between macro- and nanotribology: a quartz crystal microbalance study of tricresylphosphate uptake on metal and oxide surfaces

Phys Rev Lett. 2004 Apr 30;92(17):176101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.176101. Epub 2004 Apr 27.

Abstract

We report a quartz crystal microbalance study of the nanodynamical properties of tricresylphosphate (TCP) reaction films formed on high purity Fe, Cr, Fe oxide, and Cr oxide surfaces at elevated temperatures. The data reveal trace levels of interfacial slippage, potentially in conjunction with viscoelastic effects, for reaction films characterized by very low macroscopic friction coefficients. In contrast, rigidly attached TCP reaction films are observed in systems characterized by high macroscopic friction coefficients.