Photo-patterned natural rubber surfaces with tunable tribological properties

The present work highlights the use of UV induced thiol ene click chemistry for designing elastomer surfaces with tailored friction properties. A two-step surface modification strategy based on two consecutive photoinduced thiol ene reactions has been developed which enables controlled and patterned immobilization of micro-scaled inorganic particles onto diene-rubber surfaces. The influence of the coupled particles on both surface topography and surface roughness is determined by microscopic techniques whilst tribological studies are carried out to characterize the friction properties. The results give evidence that the attachment of selected micro-scaled particles provides a distinctive increase in surface roughness and a considerable decrease in the coefficient of friction. Both are influenced by the amount of particles immobilized onto the elastomer surface. The application of photolithographic techniques further provides elastomer materials with precisely and spatially controlled tribological properties. Whilst elastomer surfaces with randomly attached particles exhibit isotropic coefficients of friction, the tribological properties of micro-patterned elastomers are anisotropic. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.