Nanomaterials @ Interfaces Research Group

The tribiological behavior of ZnS nanorods capped with octadeclamine (C₁₆H₃₇NH₂) surfactant in dodecane was investigated. The uniform nanorods were synthesized to produce single crystal ZnS cores and the surfactant layers increased the overall nanorod diameter. The forces between mica surfaces in dodecane containing ZnS nanorod cores coated with surfactant indicated that surfaces have long-range and exponential repulsion of 150nm. Frictional measurements shows that the addition of ZnS nanorods to dodecane reduces the frictional forces and friction is high in pure dodecane liquid. Depending on the nanorod concentration, steric hard walls are formed at separations at fixed nanorod diameters. The film thickness and refractive indices of compressed nanorod films lie in the range of visible wavelengths. At intermediate concentrations the friction decreased between the dilute and concentrated regimes, and is much less than that of pure dodecane at all loads.