Adhesion and friction studies of a nano-textured surface produced by spin coating of colloidal silica nanoparticle solution

This paper presents the results of adhesion and friction studies on a nano-textured surface. The nano-textures were produced by spin coating colloidal silica nanoparticle solution on a flat silicon substrate. Surface morphology was characterized by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Adhesion and friction studies were conducted using a TriboIndenter employing diamond tips with 5 μm and 100 μm nominal radii of curvature. The results show that the adhesion forces and coefficients of friction of the nano-textured surface measured by the 100 μm tip were reduced up to 98 and 88%, respectively, compared to those of a baseline silicon oxide film surface.