Preparation, characterization and tribological behavior of self-assembled nanocomposite thin film with mimic nacre structure

The composite thin film of TiO₂/organic compound was prepared on glass substrate using supermolecular self-assembly method. The structure of the thin film was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The friction behavior of the composite thin film in sliding against AISI-52100 steel was investigated with a DF-PM friction coefficient measurement apparatus. The results indicate that the thin film is composed of organic and inorganic layers in alternately orderly arrangement. The distance between the organic layer and inorganic layer is 4.20 nm before polymerization and 3.91 nm after polymerization. The friction coefficient of the film sliding against steel is 0.1, which is much lower than 0.87 - the friction coefficient for glass sliding against the steel. Moreover, the polymerized film has longer antiwear life than the unpolymerized one.