Quantitative measurements of friction coefficient of polymer surface by scanning probe microscopy

Takehiro Yamaoka and Tadakazu Miyata*

Seiko Instruments Inc. 563 Takatsukashin-den Matsudo-shi, Chiba 270-2222, Japan
*Oji Paper Co.Ltd. 1-10-6 Shinonome, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8558, Japan

The frictional curve measurement in scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is useful tool for quantitative analysis of micro-scale surface friction. We studied the tribological properties of different silicone treated surface of polymer films. The macro-scale friction coefficient of the polymer film measured by ASTM (American Standard for Testing Material) is inversely proportional to the amount of silicone on the film surface. We measured the micro-scale friction coefficient of the polymer film by the frictional curve measurement and obtained the same correlation between micro-friction coefficient and the amount of silicone on the film surface. We propose that the friction curve measurement is suitable for measuring micro-scale frictional properties in tribological application.