– The purpose of this paper was to demonstrate the influence of a 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane–polyacrylic acid (amino propyl silane (APS)-PAA) buffer layer on the tribological performance of copper sulfide (CuS) thin film on silicon (Si) substrate.
– The APS-PAA buffer layer was first deposited on Si substrate by a self-assembling method. Then, the deposited film was coated by a CuS film by a successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The structures and morphologies of the prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The results showed that the prepared CuS film with a PAA-APS double layer had a good crystallinity and surface morphology. The tribological performance of the prepared film was analyzed on UMT-2 tribometer and scanning electric microscope.
– With use of an APS-PAA buffer layer, the CuS thin films became compact, smooth and uniform. The tribological performance of the CuS film was greatly enhanced by using an APS-PAA buffer layer.
– The paper is the first to demonstrate that the CuS film exhibited enhanced structure, morphology and tribological characteristics by using an APS-PAA buffer layer.
