Tribological Behavior of Nanosurface Tested with In-situ Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
Research aims:
Carbon substance hold the frontier position during the research on nanosurface tribological property. In order to make the internal nanostructure evolution clear, understand the physical essence at the tribology interface of nanocrystalline carbon film, and control the nanotribology behavior of nanocrystalline carbon film in the mechanical system, in-situ transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) observation and measurement on the nano-scale contact, friction and wear of nanocrystalline carbon film (NCF) against diamond tip are performed. The achievement of this project will build up the nano-scale tribological behavior system of nanocrystalline carbon films induced by graphene sheets cross-linking.
Research contents:
1. Nanoindentation tests are carried out in the TEM to measure the critical loads for displacement pop-in of NCFs with different graphene sheets cross-linking sizes. By in-situ observing the degree of cross-linking break down when displacement pop-in happens, the trigger of displacement pop-in of NCF by cross-linking breaking down is clarified.
2. Sliding friction with a normal load is conducted in the TEM to evaluate the friction force-sliding distance curves of NCFs with different graphene sheets cross-linking sizes. The break down and regeneration of cross-linking during friction are in-situ observed to elucidate the accommodation effect of cross-linking structural transition on the frictional shear.
3. Reciprocating wear with a normal load is performed in the TEM to test the critical sliding cycle for the generation of wear of NCFs with different graphene sheets cross-linking sizes. The differences of wear mode and cross-linking status are in-situ observed to reveal the mechanism of cross-linking status difference effect on the wear mode.
Research outcomes:
Applying the international patents with the self-design and developed nano-tribotest system in the in-situ TEM;
Publishing the original research results on the top-level scientific journals (Acta Mater., Nanotechnology et. al)
Establishing the worldwide famous research team of in-situ TEM observation on nanosurface