Fundamental Studies of Wettability and Friction in Fluorinated Organic Thin Films

T. Randall Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5641, Phone: (713)-743-2724, FAX: (713)-743-2726

Fluorinated materials play important roles in a variety of interfacial applications because: (1) they are chemically and biologically inert, (2) they exhibit high thermal and mechanical stabilities, (3) they are resistant to oxidation and corrosion, and (4) they are water-resistant and non-adhesive. Our research outlines a systematic exploration of the molecular basis for wetting, adhesion, and friction in fluorinated thin films. The experimental approach relies on the construction of well defined partially fluorinated thin films. These films are generated by the self assembly of segmentally fluorinated alkanethiols on gold. Studies of wettability and measurements of friction by atomic force microscopy (AFM) will be presented.