Abstract
In this study, a simple two-step process was developed to render zinc (Zn) surfaces super-hydrophobic for the purpose of lowering friction and increasing wear resistance. Zn substrates were immersed in an aqueous solution of N,N-dimethylformamide (4%, volume fraction v/v) to fabricate a ZnO film consisting of uniform and well-packed nanorods. A self-assembled monolayer of stearic acid was then prepared on the ZnO-nanorod film to acquire super-hydrophobicity. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared microscopy, and water contact-angle measurements were employed to analyze the morphological features, the chemical composition, and super-hydrophobicity of freshly prepared samples. Moreover, the friction and wear behavior of the organic–inorganic composite film sliding against steel was evaluated in a ball-on-plate configuration using a UMT-3 friction and wear tester. It was found that the stearic acid overcoat on the nanostructured ZnO film led to a large water contact angle of ~155° as well as to significantly decreased friction and greatly extended wear resistance.
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