Preparation of Nano-Convex and Nano-Concave-Patterned Polyimide Surfaces and Their Nano-Tribological Behavior

In this work, nano-convex-patterned polyimide surface (notated as 1-sample) and nano-concave-patterned polyimide surface (notated as 2-sample) were prepared by self-assembly and etching. Atomic force microscope (AFM) with a colloidal probe was used to examine the adhesion and nano-tribological behavior of the 1-sample and 2-sample. Results suggest that the 1-sample and 2-sample can decrease the surface friction and adhesive forces because of the decreased contact area between the contacting pairs. The friction forces of the 1-sample and 2-sample increased with the increase in sliding velocity and applied load. Moreover, the nano-concave pattern is more effective in reducing the adhesive force than the nano-convex pattern because of its higher surface roughness. However, the nano-convex patterning is more effective in reducing the friction force than the nano-concave patterning because of the smaller area of contact between the 2-sample and the colloidal probe.