Abstract
Diamond and diamond-like carbon films are well known for their outstanding properties such as high hardness, low coefficient of friction, good thermal conductivity, excellent biocompatibility and electrical insulation. Diamond films with nanocrystalline grains offer added advantages of higher hardness, improved surface finish (less roughness), very high sp3 content, etc. In view of the above, the present investigation is undertaken to explore the possibility of using nanocrystalline diamond films in advanced tribological applications. In this work, a nanocrystalline diamond film is deposited using a unique chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique. The microstructural features are characterised using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Tribological behaviour of these films is evaluated by means of a reciprocating model tribometer with various lubricants. The worn surfaces are examined using three-dimensional confocal microscopy. The results show that these films have comparable friction coefficient with and without lubricants. Furthermore, they exhibited negligible wear for the tested range of loads.
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