Tribology Letters最新文献

{"title":"Effect of Annealing on the Room-Temperature Dry Sliding Tribological Behavior of Additively Manufactured Neat and Graphene-Reinforced PLA","authors":"Samara Herrmann,&nbsp;Carlos Eduardo Fracari do Nascimento,&nbsp;Bruna Karine dos Santos,&nbsp;Alexandre Aparecido Buenos,&nbsp;Rafael Luciano Dalcin,&nbsp;Cristiano José Scheuer","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02214-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02214-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The influence of annealing on the dry reciprocating tribological behavior of fused filament fabrication (FFF)-printed neat polylactic acid (PLA) and graphene-reinforced PLA was investigated. Specimens were annealed at 90, 100, and 120 °C for 60, 120, and 240 min and tested under dry reciprocating sliding against a 6-mm Al₂O₃ ball according to ASTM G133. Friction was obtained from the tangential-to-normal force ratio, while the specific wear coefficient was determined from gravimetric volume loss normalized by normal load and sliding distance. Worn surfaces were examined by stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Annealing substantially improved the wear resistance of both materials: relative to the as-printed condition, the specific wear coefficient decreased by up to approximately 74% for neat PLA and 93% for graphene-reinforced PLA. Friction followed a different trend: among the annealed conditions, the mean coefficient ranged from approximately 0.51–0.73 for neat PLA and from 0.48 to 0.54 for graphene-reinforced PLA. The wear reduction was associated with concurrent annealing-induced changes in crystallinity and mechanical properties; these relationships are therefore interpreted as phenomenological correlations rather than independent causal relationships. Graphene-reinforced PLA exhibited lower wear than neat PLA throughout the investigated conditions; the separation between the two material datasets was not fully described by the bulk properties considered here. Microscopy showed surface morphologies consistent with extensive plastic deformation, tearing, and delamination-like damage in neat PLA and with milder grooving, localized cracking, and compacted debris in graphene-reinforced PLA. Under the investigated dry reciprocating sliding conditions, annealing and graphene reinforcement were associated with lower wear.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11249-026-02214-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149189250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Solving Layered Rough Contact via a Physics-Informed Operator Framework","authors":"Shaoqi Huang,&nbsp;Junpeng Chen,&nbsp;Haoyu Gu,&nbsp;Shuwen Zhang,&nbsp;Xiaoshen Zhang,&nbsp;Chongpu Zhai,&nbsp;Minglong Xu","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02216-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02216-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Predicting three-dimensional layered rough surface contact behavior is fundamental to modern tribological interface design and surface engineering. However, experimental measurements lack subsurface resolution, theoretical models rely on oversimplified geometric assumptions, and high-fidelity numerical methods remain computationally prohibitive for multiscale interface problems. To address these limitations, we develop a physics-informed operator-decomposition framework that separates the unknown nonlinear contact-state mapping from the analytically known elastic compliance operator. This framework combines an attention-enhanced U-Net with a Fourier Neural Operator (FNO) to capture localized and long-range interactions while decomposing the predicted surface deformation into elastic and plastic components. By incorporating penalty terms derived from the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) contact conditions into the loss function, the framework promotes physically admissible predictions with respect to nonpenetration, pressure nonnegativity, and contact complementarity. Furthermore, a multiscale feature-wise linear modulation (FiLM) module dynamically injects dimensionless physical parameters into the convolutional feature maps, facilitating generalization across broad ranges of coating properties and system scales. Validation against the reference BEM solutions demonstrates high predictive fidelity across diverse topographies, while the trained operator enables millisecond-scale end-to-end GPU inference under the reported benchmark conditions. Overall, the proposed framework provides an efficient and physically interpretable surrogate for resolving full-field pressure and displacement responses in layered rough contact across broad geometric, material, and loading regimes.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3>\u0000<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149188966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of the Stepped Parallel Groove Number and Surface Roughness on Friction Enhancement of Rubber Blocks in Glycerol Solutions","authors":"Arata Ishizako,&nbsp;Aoi Nishimoto,&nbsp;Toshiaki Nishi,&nbsp;Takeshi Yamaguchi","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02215-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02215-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In workplaces wherein walking surfaces are contaminated with liquids, safety footwear must provide high slip resistance. Surface texturing of the footwear outsole is a promising approach for enhancing friction on wet or contaminated interfaces by regulating interfacial fluid pressure. However, the optimal texture geometry and distribution for achieving high friction and the effect of rubber surface roughness on texture performance remain unclear. Herein, the effects of the number of stepped parallel grooves and the surface roughness of rubber blocks on the friction under glycerol lubrication were investigated. Stepped parallel grooves, which are designed to generate negative fluid pressure, were machined onto rubber blocks with different surface roughness values. Friction tests were then conducted in a glycerol solution. Results showed that stepped parallel grooves generated negative fluid pressure and influenced static friction force (<i>F</i>_s) and kinetic friction force (<i>F</i>_k). <i>F</i>_s continuously increased with increasing number of grooves. In contrast, <i>F</i>_k depended on the surface roughness of the rubber. For rough specimens, <i>F</i>_k increased with increasing number of grooves for up to three grooves, beyond which it plateaued. For smooth specimens, it gradually decreased as the number of grooves increased. These results suggest that an appropriate number of stepped parallel grooves can enhance friction in highly viscous liquid environments, particularly for rough rubber surfaces. The greater effectiveness observed for rough surfaces may be relevant to slip-resistant rubber surfaces used in liquid-contaminated workplaces.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3>\u0000<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11249-026-02215-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149188997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Abrasive Particle-Size Controls Metal Wear Level and Surface Damage Localization at a Fixed Abrasive Mass: LCPC Tests and Rough-Contact Analysis","authors":"Hua Jiang,&nbsp;Hao Hu,&nbsp;Yusheng Jiang,&nbsp;Ao Zhang,&nbsp;Kairui Kang,&nbsp;Hanbin Zhang,&nbsp;Xinxin Li,&nbsp;Yingtao Sun","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02212-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02212-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Larger abrasive particles are known to intensify metal wear; however, how a change in particle-size fraction affects material loss, surface morphology, and microcontact state at a fixed total abrasive mass remains unclear. This study examines how hardness and particle-size control the wear response, and how fewer particles drive the transition from distributed to localized damage. Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC) abrasion tests were performed on five metals of different hardnesses, with eight particle-size fractions and three test durations. Worn 304 stainless-steel surfaces were characterized by confocal microscopy and analyzed with the Greenwood–Williamson (GW) rough-contact framework. For all five metals, mass loss increased with particle size and harder materials showed lower loss; hardness governed the overall wear level, while particle size governed damage localization on the surfaces examined. As particle size increased, dense shallow scratches and microplowing developed into wide grooves, impact pits, and localized spalling, with increasing . A change in slope developed across the coarse-particle range; its median fitted breakpoint was 4.81 mm, but the individual estimates were widely scattered. Wear decreased with hardness, but less than predicted by an Archard relation with a constant wear coefficient. A GW analysis at the fixed 500 g particle mass showed that larger fractions contained fewer load-bearing particles, while the nominal macroscopic load per particle, plasticity index, separation distance, and mean interference ratio increased, concentrating contact on fewer, higher asperities. These findings provide a cross-scale framework linking mass loss, damage morphology, and contact state.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon Partitioning Governs the Synergy Between Load-Bearing and Friction-Reducing Phases in Medium-Entropy Carbide Films","authors":"Zhiguo Sun","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02213-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02213-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Carbon plays a dual structural role in medium-entropy carbide films: it contributes to formation of the hard carbide framework, while excess carbon forms a free-carbon component that can accommodate interfacial shear. A medium-entropy Ti–Zr–Nb–V target was sputtered under fixed conditions with carbon input as the only variable, yielding films with EDS-determined C/M ratios of 0.30, 0.63, and 1.24, denoted S1, S2, and S3. With increasing carbon input, the structure evolved from a low-order state to a well-developed B1-type carbide and then to a carbide/free-carbon composite. S2 reached the highest hardness of 32.4 GPa, whereas S3 decreased to 19.6 GPa, indicating that load-bearing capacity depends on the effective continuity of the hard carbide framework. The friction coefficient decreased continuously across S1–S3, while the wear rate remained low after the pronounced improvement from S1 to S2, revealing a progressive decoupling from the non-monotonic hardness response. From S1 to S2, the marked improvement in wear resistance coincided with development of the load-bearing carbide framework; from S2 to S3, load-bearing capacity declined, while friction continued to decrease. Post-sliding Raman and XPS analyses of S3 showed pronounced reorganization of the free-carbon-related structure together with an increased near-surface C–C/C=C contribution, supporting the participation of free carbon in the development of a carbon-rich, low-shear third body. These results show that carbon partitioning among the carbide framework, free-carbon reservoir and friction-modified interface governs the balance between normal load-bearing and interfacial shear.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interfacial Friction and Latch Geometry Govern Slip Initiation in a Click Beetle-Inspired Frictional Latch System","authors":"Nabin Bastola,&nbsp;Jadon Reuben,&nbsp;Kaylei Rodriguez,&nbsp;Rajshibhu Pandey,&nbsp;Alison C. Dunn","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02208-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02208-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Certain small arthropods achieve controlled, high-speed motions using spring-latch mechanisms that overcome the conventional trade-off between force and velocity observed in macroscopic systems. These organisms store elastic energy within exoskeletal structures and release it rapidly through slip-contact latch mechanisms. The click beetle (<i>Elateridae</i>) is of particular interest due to its externally accessible latch, where interfacial friction and contact geometry strongly influence power output and acceleration. Understanding the kinematic interaction and contact mechanics of such latching systems is essential for translating biological motion principles into engineered applications that demand scalable actuation, precise motion control, and enhanced mechanical resilience. In this study, a contact latch system inspired by the click beetle morphology was designed to experimentally quantify the coefficient of friction between aluminum–aluminum interfaces. Under dry conditions, the measured coefficient of friction was approximately 0.53, which decreased to 0.18 when lubricated with a penetrating oil. The influence of beam stiffness on frictional behavior was examined by varying the beam’s material properties. Results indicate that the friction coefficient is independent of beam stiffness but sensitive to the geometrical constraints between contacting cylindrical surfaces. Overall, the findings demonstrate that slip initiation and release are primarily governed by interfacial friction, paralleling the mechanics of the beetle’s natural latch system. This understanding provides a foundation for the design of tunable slip-based actuation systems, with potential applications in energy-efficient and high-speed mechanical devices.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3>\u0000<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atomistic Insights into Friction and Wear Behaviors in Nanoscale Reciprocating Rolling Contacts","authors":"Lingbo Zhang,&nbsp;Xiao Zhang,&nbsp;Lingmin Cui,&nbsp;Xiaoqiu Huang,&nbsp;Shujia Wan,&nbsp;Xinyu Zhang,&nbsp;Xiaolong Li,&nbsp;Ruiting Tong","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02207-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02207-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ball bearings in a space antenna pointing system present small-stroke reciprocating rolling contacts during viewing-aiming processes, which may accelerate bearing failure. Space environments are characterized by strong interfacial adhesion, the underlying mechanisms of which can be effectively investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. In this work, a molecular dynamics model based on the raceway-rolling-element geometry of space ball bearings was developed, using a simplified BCC-based Fe–Cr-C model inspired by the principal chemical constituents of AISI 52100 bearing steel. The effects of velocity, temperature, and alloy composition on friction, wear, kinematics, and dislocation evolution were investigated. The tangential force is found to be coupled with the velocity differences between the interfaces, which induces periodically variation between driving and retarding roles within each stroke. Under reciprocating rolling contacts, wear is dominated by adhesive material transfer, accompanied by progressive dislocation accumulation. A non-monotonic influence of velocity on friction forces is analyzed: moderate velocity promotes favorable rolling-sliding compatibility and most stable friction force is obtained. At elevated temperatures, average friction forces increased and fluctuation ranges broadened, with wear arising from intensified atomic thermal motion and interfacial adhesion. Among nine Fe–Cr-C compositions examined, the alloy with 1.0% Cr and 1.5% C exhibits the most stable friction and wear performance. These findings could provide atomistic guidance for optimizing the material composition and operating conditions of space bearing components.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From AB Stacking to Twist: A Practical Route to Tunable Graphene Friction","authors":"Tuana Karakoyun Barandır,&nbsp;Dilara Ickecan,&nbsp;Özhan Ünverdi,&nbsp;Cem Çelebi,&nbsp;Dogan Erbahar","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02199-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02199-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Twisted bilayer graphene adds a simple—yet powerful—control knob to carbon interfaces: rotation. By changing the twist angle, a moiré superlattice emerges and reshapes the registry landscape that governs interfacial energy dissipation. Here, we combine lateral force microscopy (LFM) on transfer-processed bilayer graphene with molecular dynamics simulations of an idealized/defect-free Si/graphene sliding junction to quantify when twist control is robust and when it is masked by real-interface variability. Experimentally, kinetic friction coefficients are obtained from friction–load slopes measured at multiple locations. Among the twisted samples (2.3° to 10.2°), the mean kinetic friction coefficient increases from ≈ 0.034 to ≈ 0.078 (≈ 2.3×). Extending the comparison to the AB-stacked (0°) sample, synthesized via a distinct single-step growth route and treated as a qualitative baseline, yields an overall increase from ≈ 0.024 (≈ 3×), while spatial scatter highlights the sensitivity to local disorder, relaxation/strain, and surface residue. In parallel, molecular dynamics isolates intrinsic registry effects under controlled load, velocity, and pulling direction: the small-angle response is comparatively weak, whereas broader angle sampling reveals pronounced, non-monotonic changes and angle-specific anisotropy reaching a magnitude comparable to the experimental spread. Guided by moiré-based theory emphasizing registry averaging alongside finite-contact/boundary contributions, we interpret the experimental trend as an interplay between twist-engineered registry physics and extrinsic heterogeneity. Beyond establishing twist-tunable friction in a scalable carbon material, the study positions twisted bilayer graphene as a benchmark interface that <i>bridges</i> atomistic mechanisms and higher-level tribological observables, providing quantitative targets for multiscale modelling and design of graphene-coated sliding contacts.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mass Weighting Algorithm Optimizes Fourier-Based Physics-Informed Neural Network in Adhesive Contact Mechanics","authors":"Yunong Zhou,&nbsp;Kaifeng Huang,&nbsp;Chaofan Du,&nbsp;Yang Xu,&nbsp;Hengxu Song","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02209-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02209-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) for elastic contact mechanics suffer from a spectral stiffness imbalance, that is, the elastic kernel grows linearly with wave number, causing short-wavelength modes to dominate gradient updates and stall convergence of the macroscopic deformation. We introduce a spectral preconditioning strategy that reweights loss gradients with respect to displacements in Fourier space before back-propagation, amplifying low-wavenumber components through a mass weighting (MW) function while suppressing sub-grid noise via a built-in low-pass filter. Applied to adhesive line contact problems, the mass weighted PINN reaches machine-zero residual loss within 400 Adam iterations for specified benchmark, whereas the reference benchmark stalls at three orders of magnitude higher loss. The converged displacement and contact stress fields agree quantitatively with Green’s function molecular dynamics (GFMD) solutions for both smooth Hertz contact at pressures spanning tension to compression and rough surfaces with roughness covering several decades of wavelength. The method operates directly on a uniform real-space grid, requires no explicit Green’s function integration or quadrature rules, and is formulated entirely in terms of minimizing a scalar energy function. Extension to two-dimensional rough surfaces is direct, as both the Fourier elastic energy and the spectral preconditioner depend only on the wave-number magnitude.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanism of Perfluoropolyether Lubricant Decomposition and SiOx Smear Growth in Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording","authors":"Hiroshi Tani,&nbsp;Renguo Lu,&nbsp;Shinji Koganezawa","doi":"10.1007/s11249-026-02205-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11249-026-02205-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Perfluoropolyether (PFPE) lubricants in heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) hard disk drives are exposed to extreme thermal conditions at the head–disk interface, where local surface temperatures reach 300–400 °C. Under these conditions, PFPE decomposition is promoted, potentially generating HF-related fluoride species that may affect silicon oxide (SiO_x) smear growth on the near-field transducer surface. This study investigates PFPE decomposition and SiO_x smear growth through four experiments. Accelerated-aging tests in sealed glass ampoules demonstrate that hydroxyl-terminated PFPE lubricants decompose under high temperature and elevated pressure, with glass corrosion products detected by time-of-flight secondary ion-mass spectrometry (TOF–SIMS) providing strong indirect evidence for HF-related fluoride species generation. Moisture accelerates decomposition. TOF–SIMS analysis of commercial HAMR smear suggests that surface silanol groups may serve as SiO_x precursors and reveals an inverse relationship between HF- and SiO₂-related ion intensities. Temperature-dependent analysis is consistent with thermally activated Si migration from the magnetic layer and silanol decomposition above 300 °C. Laser-heating experiments with lubricant film thicknesses of 7, 10, and 15 Å show that increasing film thickness is associated with increased HF-related fluoride species generation and decreased SiO_x accumulation. A three-step tribochemical mechanism is proposed: Si species react with adsorbed water to form silanol groups; these groups decompose under laser heating, potentially generating volatile silicon monoxide; and silicon monoxide may transform into SiO_x, potentially inhibited by HF-related fluoride species. These findings highlight the importance of lubricant film thickness and moisture control in balancing SiO_x smear formation and HF-related corrosion at the HAMR head–disk interface.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3>\u0000<div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":806,"journal":{"name":"Tribology Letters","volume":"74 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}