Nano-Wear of Polystyrene in Contact With Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Substrates: Influence of Interfacial Interactions

The aim this study is to analyse the influence of interfacial interactions in the nano-wear behaviour of polymers. Studies will be focussed on the analysis of the transfer layer induced by the friction of a polystyrene cylinder in contact with a flat and smooth substrate. In order to change the nature of interfacial interactions, two different substrates are used. The first one is a hydrophilic silicon wafer (hydroxylated by a piranha treatment) and the second one is a hydrophobic silicon wafer, obtained by a chemical grafting with a CH₃ terminated silane. Friction experiments are performed with a translation tribometer which measures the tangential force between the polymer and the substrate for controlled normal force and friction rate. The transfer layer is analysed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy (reflection mode) Tentative correlations between transfer layer characteristics and interfacial properties are proposed.