| Abstract: | Hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on Si substrate using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) technique with CH4 plus H2 as the feedstock. The tribological properties of the hydrogenated DLC films were measured on a ball-on-disk tribometer in different testing environments (humid air,dry air, dry O2, dry Ar and dry N2 ) sliding against Si3 N4 balls. The friction surfaces of the films and Si3 N4 balls were observed on a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the tribological properties of the hydrogenated DLC films are strongly dependent on the testing environments. In dry Ar and dry N2 environments, the hydrogenated DLC films provide a superlow friction coefficient of about 0. 008 -0.01 and excellent wear resistance (wear life of above 56 km). In dry air and dry O2, the friction coefficient is increased to 0. 025 - 0.04 and the wear life is decreased to about 30 km. When sliding in moist air, the friction coefficient of the films is further increased to 0. 08 and the wear life is decreased to 10. 4 km. SEM and XPS analyses show that the tribological behaviors appear to rely on the transferred carbon-rich layer processes on the Si3 N4 balls and on the friction-induced oxidation of the films controlled by the nature of the testing environments. |
