Phase Transformation in Self-Organized Carbon Tribolayers

TL;DR

This study investigates the structural and optical transformations in self-organized carbon tribolayers formed by rubbing graphite, revealing a multilayer structure with a transparent lamina exhibiting unique electrical and optical properties.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed experimental analysis of phase transformations and morphological changes in carbon tribolayers during rubbing, identifying a novel multilayer structure with specific optical and electrical features.

Findings

CTL is a multilayer structure with a transparent lamina.

The lamina exhibits non-linear electrical conductivity near zero bias.

Raman spectra show G and D bands indicating specific carbon lattice features.

Abstract

The simplest way to obtain thin carbon layers is to draw or rub with a graphite rod. During rubbing, forces of friction acting in graphite/substrate tribological system cause drastic changes in the structure of the interface stratum developing thereby stable self-organized and ordered thin structure. We present a pioneering experimental investigation of structural and morphological transformations in carbon tribolayers (CTL). By optical microscopy observation it is found that CTL is a multilayer structure, the essential building block of which is a transparent phase shaped as a lamina in-between the surface and bottom disordered layers of CTL. The surface of the lamina exhibits non-linear electrical conductivity near zero bias on I-V characteristics. The optical properties of the whole CTL are mostly controlled by physical processes occurring in the transparent lamina. The Raman spectrum of CTL contains narrow bands at 1,589 cm-1 and 1,346 cm-1 corresponding to G and D bands of carbon crystal lattice. The observed features are interpreted using the relationship between the bond length and corresponding band frequency, r2{\omega}= const. Optical absorption of CTL has a feature at 4.6 eV originating from strong electron-hole interaction. From comparative analysis of experimental data, structural-spectral correspondence is found. It is concluded that because of phase transformation during rubbing, a carbon structure consisting of sp3 lamina with a nano-scaled thick sp2 layer on the top is shaped.