Tribology Online (Nov 2010)

Oxidation of Disk Lubricants: an NMR Study

  • Paul H. Kasai,
  • Masako Ikegami

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2474/trol.5.271
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 6
pp. 271 – 283

Abstract

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Z-dol and Z-tetraol represent most often used disk lubricants. So that we would be better able to design lubricants of higher thermal stability (for Heat-Assisted-Magnetic-Recording application), detailed analysis of thermally induced oxidation processes of Z-dol and Z-tetraol were performed. Samples were heated in a thin-film configuration where facile infusion of oxygen occurred and were examined by F-19 and C-13 NMR. Z-dol was found to be stable in the 150 ∼ 200 °C temperature range. In the same temperature range Z-tetraol was found to undergo either (1) the well known step-wise oxidation of primary alcohol (alcohol → aldehyde → acid) or (2) direct conversion to Z-dol. The latter process is initiated by a base-catalyzed step whereby the end-group Z-O-CF2-CH2-O-CH2-CH(-OH)-CH2-OH converts to an aldehyde, Z-O-CF2-CH2-O-CH2-CH( = O), and CH3OH. Z-dol results upon oxidation of the aldehyde yielding Z-O-CF2-CH2-OH, CH2 = O and CO2. It was found that substitution of the terminal OH with a phenoxy unit suppressed these decomposition processes. Z-tetraol lubricant molecular chains that became bound to the carbon overcoat at their termini are also protected from these oxidation processes. Thus for HAMR application, a combination of lubricants bonded to the carbon overcoat at their termini and mobile lubricants possessing phenoxy groups at their termini may be the best possible system based on perfluoropolyether lubricants.

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