Nanotribology of cluster assembled carbon films

The frictional properties of cluster assembled carbon films have been investigated on nanometric scale by friction force microscopy. The experiment was performed at low loads to avoid plastic deformation and wear of materials. We found that load-dependent measurements acquired on samples with different composition present excellent agreement with the Hertzian-plus-offset model. A quantitative comparison among these films and atom-assembled carbon compounds is finally presented. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.