Self-assembly membrane on textured surface for enhancing lubricity of graphene oxide nano-additive

The enhancement of water lubrication effect by adopting graphene oxide (GO) additives is desired in water lubricating bearings. And the GO lubricity is mediated by the topographical and chemical states of frictional surfaces. However, the prevailing researches focus on their respective effects on GO lubricity. In this work, we design and prepare a functional surface with both specific topographical and chemical properties. This functional surface is achieved by decorating a hierarchical structure and self-assembling a thin layer of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (3-APS) on smooth surface. Our frictional tests demonstrate that the functional surface holds good tribological performance including reduction of the friction coefficient and wear rate by 26.1% and 39.4%, in contrast to the original smooth surface. From the perspective of wetting, the lubricating principles are further discussed.