Analysis of PFPE lubricating film in NEMS application via molecular dynamics simulation

Interfacial lubrication plays an important role in the functional performance of nanoelectrome-chanical (NEMS) systems. Here, we used molecular dynamics simulation to analyze the lubricating effect of a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) film to reveal the mechanism behind our experimental observations and understand the performance of the film. There was good agreement in the trends of the coefficients of friction between our simulation results and experimental characterizations. By studying the atomic motion, interfacial mechanics and polymer chain deformation, we found that PFPE films provide good lubrication because their linear flowability promotes surface reconstruction. Our simulations suggest that a high performance lubricant film needs to have low resistance to shear deformation, possess high linear flowability, promote surface reconstruction and adhere effectively to the substrates.