Measurement of the friction of thin films by means of a quartz microbalance in the presence of a finite vapor pressure - art. no. 235411

In recent years, the quartz-crystal microbalance technique (QCM) has been s uccesfully applied to the field of nanotribology. In this paper we examine the effect of a finite vapor pressure on the accuracy of thin-film friction measurements taken with a QCM by solving the Navier-Stokes equation of the combined system quartz-crystal-adsorbed film-bulk vapor. We also discuss t he details of the calibration procedure of the QCM carried out at both room temperature and low temperature, and describe the data acquisition and ana lysis specific to tribological applications. Finally, we present some preli minary data of the friction of a Kr monolayer adsorbed on gold at low tempe ratures that show the sliding of the film.