Boundary lubricant polymer films: effect of cross-linking.

We have studied the adsorption and lubricant properties of a multifunctional triblock copolymer poly(L-lysine)-b-poly(acrylic acid)-b-poly(L-lysine). In particular, we investigated the nature of the layer adsorbed under different conditions of polymer and salt concentration and the lubricant properties of the polymer layer before and after its chemical cross-linking by bridging the poly(acrylic acid) blocks. We found that the amount of polymer adsorbed is controlled by the ionic strength and the polymer concentration in the solution. In all cases, the self-assembled polymer layer is a poor lubricant before cross-linking, but the cohesion and load-carrying ability of the layer are substantially improved by this reaction. However, the chemically cross-linked coating has a limited deformation capacity as a consequence of its permanent network nature, and irreversible damage is observed after excessive strain of the film.