This work shows that a soft, thin film comprising randomly aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can reduce surface wear more effectively than a homogeneous thin film because of enhanced elastic recoverability and contact stress relief originating from its mesh structure. To investigate the wear characteristics of the mesh structure compared to those of the homogeneous thin film, multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) and diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films were prepared to conduct nanoscale tribological experiments using the atomic force microscopy (AFM). The MWCNT thin film showed unmeasurably low wear compared with the DLC thin film under a certain range of normal load. To demonstrate the wear reduction mechanism of the MWCNT thin film, its indentation and frictional behaviors were assessed. The indentation behavior of the MWCNT thin film revealed repetitive elastic deformation with a wide strain range and a significantly lower elastic modulus than that of the DLC thin film. The permanent deformation of the MWCNT thin film was observed through frictional experiments under relatively high normal load conditions. These results are expected to provide insights into the design of highly wear-resistant surfaces using nanostructures.

这项工作表明，包含随机排列的碳纳米管 (CNT) 的柔软薄膜可以比均质薄膜更有效地减少表面磨损，因为其网状结构增强了弹性恢复能力和消除了接触应力。为了研究与均匀薄膜相比，网状结构的磨损特性，制备了多壁碳纳米管 (MWCNT) 和类金刚石碳 (DLC) 薄膜，使用原子力显微镜 (AFM) 进行纳米级摩擦学实验. 在一定范围的正常负载下，与 DLC 薄膜相比，MWCNT 薄膜显示出无法测量的低磨损。为了证明 MWCNT 薄膜的磨损减少机制，评估了其压痕和摩擦行为。MWCNT 薄膜的压痕行为表明重复弹性变形具有较宽的应变范围和明显低于 DLC 薄膜的弹性模量。通过在相对高法向载荷条件下的摩擦实验，观察了 MWCNT 薄膜的永久变形。这些结果有望为使用纳米结构设计高耐磨表面提供见解。