Effect of bias gradient delta on mechanical and tribological properties of DLC films sputtered on ACM

Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared on acrylate rubber (ACM) by varying the substrate bias voltage with bias gradient deltas of 25 V, 50 V, and 100 V during magnetron sputtering. The microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of DLC films on ACM substrate were systematically investigated by SEM, AFM, Raman and XPS et.al in detail. The results show that the DLC film with a bias gradient delta of 25 V exhibited the most sp3 content and with the decrease of bias voltage gradient delta, the sp3 content in DLC films shows an increasing trend. The ratio of H/E increases as the bias gradient delta decreases. The results of friction tests indicated that the wear resistance of DLC films is influenced by their bias gradient deltas, surface roughness, residual stress, adhesive strength, and the ratio of H/E&H3/E2. Furthermore, decreasing the bias gradient delta resulted in a reduction in wear volume. Among the tested films, the DLC film with a bias gradient delta of 25 V exhibited the lowest CoF of 0.14 and the least wear volume of 0.98 mg, respectively. These findings suggest that the said film prepared on ACM displays excellent wear resistance.