Nanoscale lubricants for magnetic disk drives

In the present study, we deposited the mixed lubricant, which consists of a strongly bonded lubricant phase and a mobile lubricant phase, on a carbon overcoat. The islands of FDTS (perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane) self-assembled monolayer were introduced as a strongly bonded lubricant phase and the Fomblin Z03 lubricant as a mobile phase. The friction and durability properties of 2.5-in magnetic disks coated with 15-angstrom-thick mixed lubricants were investigated using a ball-on-disk tribotester and compared with disks coated with 15-angstrom-thick Zdol lubricants. The mixed lubricant exhibits superior wear properties compared to Fomblin Zdol. This may occur because the FDTS networks act as a barrier against the displacement of the mobile Z03 molecules, and the mobility of Z03 molecules is higher than that of Zdol molecules, which allows Z03 to replenish into the lubricant-depleted area at a higher rate.