title: Molecularly thin fluoro-polymeric nanolubricant films: tribology, rheology, morphology, and applications.
abstract: Molecularly thin perfluoropolyether (PFPE) has been used extensively as a high-performance lubricant in various applications and, more importantly, on carbon overcoats to enhance the reliability and lubrication of micro-/nanoelectro-mechanical systems, where the tribological performance caused by its molecular architecture is a critical issue, as are its physical properties and rheological characteristics. This Highlight addresses recent trends in the development of fluoro-polymeric lubricant films with regard to their tribology, rheology, and physio-chemical properties as they relate to heat-assisted magnetic recording. Nanorheology has been employed to examine the dynamic response of nonfunctional and functional PFPEs, while the viscoelastic properties of nanoscale PFPE films and the relaxation processes as a function of molecular structure and end-group functionality were analyzed experimentally; furthermore, the characteristics of binary blends were reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. mj3a@andrew.cmu.edu.
authors.forename: Pil Seung
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. mj3a@andrew.cmu.edu.
authors.forename: Myung S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Jhon
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 402-751, Korea. hjchoi@inha.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hyoung Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Choi