AVS2015 Session TR+AS+BI+NS-FrM: Nanoscale Wear and Biotribology

Friday, October 23, 2015 8:20 AM in Room 230B

Friday Morning

Time Period FrM Sessions | Abstract Timeline | Topic TR Sessions | Time Periods | Topics | AVS2015 Schedule

Start Invited? Item
8:20 AM TR+AS+BI+NS-FrM-1 2D or not 2D? The Impact of Nanoscale Roughness and Substrate Interactions on the Tribological Properties of Graphene
James Batteas (Texas A&M University)

Control of friction and wear is a ubiquitous challenge in numerous machined interfaced ranging from biomedical implants, to engines, to nano- and micro-scaled electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. While lubricant additives are one approach to the development of surface coatings that can impede wear and reduce friction, in some cases, such approaches are simply not amenable and the development of ultrathin films are required. Recently, the robust mechanical properties of graphene has made it a material of interest as a means of modifying surface frictional properties. While graphene can readily adapt to surface structure on the atomic scale, when deposited on substrates with nanoscopic roughness (~ 10 – 20 nm rms as is common in many machined interfaces) a conformal coating cannot be fully formed due to competition between adhesion to substrate nanoscopic asperities and the bending strain of the graphene. This often leaves a mixture of supported and unsupported regions which respond differently to applied load and shear strain. Here we describe a combination of AFM nanomechanical and confocal Raman microspectroscopy studies of graphene on silica surfaces with controlled nanoscopic roughness to examine the how this impacts the frictional properties of graphene. Composite interfaces where graphene is supported on self-assembled alkylsilane monolayers will also be described along with the synergistic influence of such mixed interfaces on the frictional properties of the surface.

9:00 AM TR+AS+BI+NS-FrM-3 Atomic–Scale Wear and Wear Reduction Mechanisms Elucidated by In Situ Approaches
Robert W. Carpick (University of Pennsylvania); Tevis Jacobs (University of Pittsburgh)

As technologies shrink to nanometer length scales, tribological interactions play an increasingly dominant role. A lack of fundamental insight into the origin of friction and wear at the nanoscale hinders the advancement of such technologies. Furthermore, macroscopic tribological applications often involve contact between nanostructured materials or at nanoscale asperities, due to surface roughness. Observing and understanding the nanoscale mechanisms at play is inhibited by the hidden nature of the buried interface and the challenge of performing observations at the nanometer scale. Recent advances in in situ methods are enabling tribological mechanisms at previously inaccessible interfaces to be studied with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity. We will discuss the application of two in situ experimental methods to develop new physical insights into tribological processes. The first approach addresses contact and wear phenomena at the atomic scale by in situ sliding in a transmission electron microscope [1], and the second addresses the generation of tribofilms from anti-wear additives using atomic force microscopy while immersed in additive-infused oil [2].

References:

[1] Jacobs, T.D.B. and Carpick, R.W. “Nanoscale Wear as a Stress-Assisted Chemical Reaction,” Nature Nanotech., 8, 2013, 108-112.

[2] Gosvami, N.N., Bares, J. A., Mangolini, F., Konicek, A.R., Yablon D.G., and R. W. Carpick. “Mechanisms of Antiwear Tribofilm Growth Revealed In Situ by Single Asperity Sliding Contacts,” Science, 348, 2015, 102-106.

9:40 AM TR+AS+BI+NS-FrM-5 Influence of Polysaccharide Conformation on Friction and Adhesion
Rowena Crockett (Empa, Switzerland)

The friction behavior of the polysaccharide dextran has been investigated on surfaces coated with PLL-dextran brushes as well as randomly orientated covalently attached chains in aqueous solution. It was found that while there was a strong dependence of friction on load for the dextran brushes, the randomly orientated chains showed a more constant friction coefficient. Polysaccharides play an important role in bioadhesion, but are also used in the mining industry to assist in the separation of minerals. Despite the high adhesion associated with polysaccharides, investigations showing that they can be used to achieve low friction have also been reported. It was proposed that this transition from low friction to high adhesion is achieved as a result of hydrogen bonding. That is, as the load increases, water is forced out of the contact and the number of hydrogen bonds between the polysaccharide and surface increase, inducing a transition to high adhesion.

10:20 AM TR+AS+BI+NS-FrM-7 Tribological Rehydration of Cartilage: A New Insight into an Old Problem
David Burris, Axel C. Moore (University of Delaware)
The bulk of cartilage lubricity is due to its multi-phasic structure and the pressurization of interstitial fluid during loading. Unfortunately, the same pressure gradients that support load and lubricate the contact also drive fluid from the tissue over time. This observation led McCutchen, the researcher responsible for the discovery of this unusual lubrication mechanism, to ponder how the joint prevented the loss of interstitial fluid over time. He proposed that articulation intermittently exposes the loaded zone to the bath, thus allowing the tissue to imbibe fluid. It wasn’t until 2008 that Caligaris and Ateshian showed that interstitial pressure can be maintained if the contact migrates across cartilage more quickly than the diffusive speed of fluid in the tissue; because the joint involves a migrating contact, they proposed that this discovery resolved any uncertainty about how the joint maintains lubrication. However, joints spend only a fraction of the day articulating and the majority of the day exuding fluid in static compression. If the migrating contact simply prevents the loss of fluid by moving quicker than the fluid can respond, we contend that it cannot explain long-term maintenance of interstitial fluid in the joint; there must be an active uptake mechanism in which articulation drives fluid back into the cartilage surface at a rate that outpaces exudation. This paper explores the origins of this mechanism and in doing so uncovers several phenomena that cannot be explained by existing theory. Contrary to existing theory, we show that stationary contacts are able to sustain fluid pressures in a manner similar to the migrating contact. Furthermore, we demonstrate active recovery of interstitial fluid in a stationary contact without exposing the loaded zone to the bath. The results demonstrate that sliding alone, even at sub-physiological speeds, forces fluid back into the cartilage at rates that outpace exudation rates. The results suggest that interstitial or weeping lubrication is the primary lubrication mechanism in the joint and that hydrodynamic effects prevent the loss of this mechanism in the long-term.
11:00 AM TR+AS+BI+NS-FrM-9 Biomimetic Aspects of Lubrication with Polymer Brushes and Gels
Christian Mathis, Lucio Isa, Nicholas Spencer (ETH Zürich, Switzerland)

The role of the solvent is crucial in lubrication with polymer brushes and gels. Firstly it is important in maintaining the structure of the brush or gel layer in an unloaded state. Under loading, however, a new phenomenon becomes crucial, namely the Darcy flow of the solvent through the porous system. This aspect brings in a new set of properties to consider: the viscosity of the solvent determines the rate at which the solvent is forced through the porous network, and the sliding speed determines the extent to which the solvent is expelled from beneath the contact. The very act of expulsion of solvent is actually a process that bears a portion of the load. This phenomenon is well known in cartilage, and has been dubbed "fluid load support". This presentation will illustrate the ways in which this biomimetic approach can be utilized to protect polymer brushes and gels from wear, thus increasing their attractiveness as applicable lubricating systems, and will describe the approaches that can be used to quantify the process.

Time Period FrM Sessions | Abstract Timeline | Topic TR Sessions | Time Periods | Topics | AVS2015 Schedule