Z-Tetraol composition and bonding to the underlying carbon surface

The bonding kinetics for 10 Å Z-Tetraol films on the amorphous nitrogenated carbon surface (CNx) is investigated as a function of the Z-Tetraol molecular polarity. Z-Tetraol nominally contains 2 hydroxyl groups per chain end. The molecular polarity of Z-Tetraol is varied by the addition of a “bis-adduct” component of Z-Tetraol. This material contains 3 instead of 2 hydroxyl groups per chain end. The bonding kinetics and changes in the surface energy as a function of time in thin film mixtures is investigated under ambient conditions. The initial bonded fraction scales with the bis-adduct concentration and can be increased by as much as 50%. The asymptotic bonded fraction exhibits a more modest increase of approximately 10%. The bonding of the Z-Tetraol boundary lubricant film to the underlying carbon film is dependent on its chemical composition and its molecular polarity.