Spreading profiles of molecularly thin perfluoropolyether films

Perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs) are widely used as lubricants on magnetic recording media. The mobility of the PFPE on the protective carbon overcoat of the media is widely accepted to be intimately coupled to the resulting tribological performance. The flow properties of molecularly thin films of nonpolar PFPEZ and polar PFPE Zdol fractions on solid surfaces were investigated by measuring the spreading profiles. The spreading of Zdol exhibits terraced profiles with the formation of a molecular foot, a shoulder and a vertical step. To describe these features of Zdol spreading, we measured the Zdol thickness dependence of the surface energy, which is then used to calculate the thickness dependence of the disjoining pressure. The polar component of the Zdol surface energy exhibits oscillations as a function of PFPE thickness. The resulting oscillations in the disjoining pressure can be used to qualitatively describe the origins of terraced spreading. The characteristic Zdol spreading profile and surface energy oscillations of Zdol are attributed to molecular layering induced by polar interactions between the Zdol end-groups and the surface. © 1999 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.