Surface Response to Mechanics of Hardness and Wear Characteristics of Nanoscale Hydrophobic Film

Abstract

There is an increase in demand for durable and efficient organic nanoscale coatings for modern manufacturing systems and/or components for various applications. In wake of this demand, a new superhydrophobic silane compound was deposited on mild steel, stainless steel and titanium substrates which were pre-treated with alumina via the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method. Three substrates were considered for evolving properties comparison, also, determination of the influence of substrates’ response to films mechanical properties. The mechanical properties and the failure mechanics were investigated through nanoindentation and nanoscratch while the morphologies were examined through a field emission scanning electron microscope. The morphological evolution and mechanical viability indicated that stainless steel showed the most robust properties when compared with other substrates. Therefore, a nanoscale coating’s mechanical strength can be influenced by the substrate’s material compositions.