Lubricant Bonding Effects on Thin Film Disk Tribology

The magnetic recording industry predominantly uses Zdol to lubricate the carbon overcoat of magnetic recording disks. Zdol comprises a perfluoropolyether chain terminated with hydroxyl end groups that are capable of reversibly bonding to the carbon overcoat. Contact start/stop (CSS) tests were done to investigate the effects of Zdol lubricant bonding, thickness, and relative humidity on durability. The durability improved with increasing thickness of fully bonded or mobile Zdol. The durability decreased with increasing initial bonded fraction and with decreasing relative humidity. The bonded fraction increased with time during the tests at elevated temperature and low relative humidity. Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Paper at the ASME/STLE Tribology Conference in Seattle, Washington, October 1–4, 2000