Improving the Wear Life of a-C:H Film in High Vacuum by Self-Assembled Reduced Graphene Oxide Layers

As an energy-efficient surface modification method, self-assembly has been the subject of extensive research. However, its application on carbon film has been rarely reported. In the present work, a novel self-assembled reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was prepared on a-C:H film by a controllable self-assembly method, and the friction behavior of the RGO/a-C:H film was investigated under vacuum environment. Interestingly, the RGO/a-C:H film exhibited significant improvement of anti-wear ability in vacuum conditions under a high applied load of 5 N. As expected, the synergy lubrication effect of the RGO layer and a-C:H film should account for the excellent friction reduction and anti-wear ability of a RGO/a-C:H multilayer film.