Micro-scratch behaviour of adsorbed film formed by aqueous copolymer lubricants with phosphate ester additive on Ti-coated surface
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the adsorption behaviour and the adhesion strength of lubricant films formed by polypropylene oxide-polyethylene oxide-polypropylene oxide (PPO-PEO-PPO) with phosphate ester additive on Ti-coated surface and to identify the influence of molecular architecture and phosphate ester additive.
Design/methodology/approach
The thickness of the adsorbed PPO-PEO-PPO with phosphate ester lubricant films on Ti surfaces was measured by ellipsometry. The adhesion strength of the copolymer and the copolymer with phosphate ester lubricants was studied by the micro-scratch tests; the scratch tracks on the surfaces were observed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy.
Findings
The copolymer with a higher weight percentage of PPO not only formed a thicker film but also showed stronger adhesion and better lubrication performance. The added phosphate ester increased the film thickness and improved the tribological behaviour. The finding reveals that the adsorbed film thickness which depends on the PPO chain length and the presence of phosphate ester has a considerable effect on the scratch behaviour.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils the studies about adsorption behaviour and lubrication mechanism of this new lubricant which has not been adequately investigated on the metal surface.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support from Xiamen University of Technology (Grant No. YKJ16006R) and Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology (Grant No. 2017J01494), and China Scholarship Council (CSC) and a top up scholarship from the University of Wollongong.
Citation
Lin, B., Tieu, A.K., Zhu, H., Kosasih, B. and Novareza, O. (2017), "Micro-scratch behaviour of adsorbed film formed by aqueous copolymer lubricants with phosphate ester additive on Ti-coated surface", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 69 No. 6, pp. 881-890. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-07-2016-0161
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited