APTES nanofilm manufacturing using sliding interfaces

Al Sheikh Omar, Alaaeddin (author), Ahmad, Khurshid (author), Lodhi, Ajay Pratap Singh (author), Wang, Chun (author), Kubiak, Krzysztof (author), Morina, Ardian (author)

Harnessing tribochemical reactions at sliding interfaces has been proposed to provide an alternative perspective for manufacturing well-defined nanostructures for applications other than tribology. This approach provides a new notion of employing tribology to create nanofilms for applications such as micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). In this study, the ball-on-disc mini traction machine (MTM) was used to manufacture conductive tribofilms by using the 3-Aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) as a precursor. Different rotation speeds were applied to evaluate the tribofilm growth at different lubrication regimes, including boundary and mixed regimes. The results confirmed the ability to manufacture thick tribofilm using APTES on steel surfaces. Tribofilm characterisation using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) confirmed the tribofilms’ formation and thickness. The film thickness of APTES reached up to 300 nm compared to 100 nm of ZDDP tribofilm without damaging the contact surface. The AFM analysis showed the conductivity of the formed APTES tribofilm compared to the nonconductive ZDDP tribofilm.

• Language: English
• Keywords: tribofilm, nanofilm manufacturing, ZDDP, APTES, tribology
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 239, issue 9
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180795
• UDC: 539.92:621.89
• ISSN on article: 1350-6501
• DOI: 10.1177/13506501251349355
• COBISS.SI-ID: 271210499
• Publication date in RUL: 16.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of engineering tribology
• Shortened title: Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng., Part J J. eng. tribol.
• Publisher: Mechanical Engineering Publications
• ISSN: 1350-6501
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1936923

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: tribofilm, proizvodnja nanofilmov, premazi, tribologija

Projects

• Funder: UKRI - UK Research and Innovation
• Project number: EP/S030476/1
• Name: TRibology as an ENabling Technology (TRENT)