Investigation of the effects of surface chemistry and surface morphology on adhesion and friction by means of a gradient substrate

摘要

One of the most important questions in tribology is to understand the origins of adhesion and friction, and the relationship between them. It is known that interfacial properties, such as surface chemistry and surface roughness, have large influences on the adhesion and friction behaviour of an interface. Virtually all surfaces are rough on a certain scale and roughness can vary the adhesion between two surfaces dramatically. A nano-scale morphology gradient substrate has been employed to study the effect of roughness on adhesion and friction. This allows us to vary the surface roughness systematically while keeping all other experimental parameters identical.