No abstract

The adsorption of vapor molecules plays an important role in countless fields and is increasingly realized to be critical in tribology, which encompasses adhesion, friction, and wear of surfaces. This feature article reviews experimental methods for quantifying gas and vapor adsorption on flat solid surfaces under equilibrium conditions (ambient pressure and temperature) as well as the effects of these adsorbates on the adhesion, friction, and wear of various materials. Particular attention is given to species that are present in the ambient environment such as water (humidity) and organic vapors. These adsorbed species can have drastic yet varied influences on tribology depending on the surface chemistry of materials. Despite prolonged and ubiquitous observations in a broad range of materials and vapors, a fundamental understanding of the effect of adsorbed gases and vapors on the adhesion, friction, and wear of surfaces has begun only recently through surface-sensitive characterization.

Tribology involves not only two-body contacts of two solid materials-a substrate and a counter-surface; it often involves three-body contacts whether the third body is intentionally introduced or inevitably added during the sliding or rubbing. The intentionally added third body could be lubricant oil or engineered nanomaterial used to mitigate the friction and wear of the sliding contact. The inevitably added third body could be wear debris created from the substrate or the counter surface during sliding. Even in the absence of any solid third-body between the sliding surfaces, molecular adsorption of water or organic vapors from the surrounding environment can dramatically alter the friction and wear behavior of solid surfaces tested in the absence of lubricant oils. This review article covers the last case: the effects of molecular adsorption on sliding solid surfaces both inevitably occurring due to the ambient test and intentionally introduced as a solution for engineering problems. We will review how adsorbed molecules can change the course of wear and friction, as well as the mechanical and chemical behavior, of a wide range of materials under sliding conditions.

The original version of this article contained the incorrect caption of