Frictional Property of Zinc Oxide Coating Films Observed by Lateral Force Microscopy

ZnO coating films were synthesized by a magnetron sputter deposition method on stainless steel substrates. The crystal structure of the films was analyzed with XRD spectroscopy. Adhesion and frictional properties were obtained from force curves and lateral force data using AFM under an atmosphere and in a vacuum. The friction coefficient decreased in spite of a marked increase in adhesion force on the film surface with heat treatment at 473 K in a vacuum. It was considered that the film surface energy changed during the heat treatment and affected the frictional properties of the films. 7 refs.