Influence of Titanium Tetrabutoxide on Nanoindentation and Nanoscratch Profiles of Silsesquioxane Films

Based on silsesquioxanes (SSO) derived from the hydrolytic condensation of [3‐(glacildoxy)propyl]trimethoxysilane (GPMS), 20 wt‐% tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and titanium tetrabutoxide (TTB), two‐layer SSO films were prepared for nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests. The tests were carried out to study the influence of different amounts of TTB in the two‐layer hybrid films on hardness (H), elastic modulus (E) and scratch (S) testing profiles. The H profiles of the modified films showed two kinds of H corresponding to the two–layer structure. In the S testing profiles, all final–scan profiles did not absolutely coincide or overlap with the first–scan profiles. All S profiles revealed a fluctuanting characteristic and all S profiles can be divided into two regions in the horizontal displacement, because of the two‐layer structure. The film containing an adequate amount of TTB (20 wt‐%) was found to possess the largest H and E, as well as the best S resistance.