Abstract
Friction behavior of nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide(AAO) film was investigated. A 60 ${\mu}m$ thick AAO film having nanopores of 45 nm diameter with 105 nm interpore-diatance was fabricated by mild anodization process. The AAO film was then saturated with paraffinic oil. Reciprocating ball-on-flat sliding friction tests using 1 mm diameter steel ball as the counterpart were carried out with normal load ranging from 0.1 N to 1 N in an ambient environment. The morphology of worn surfaces were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. The friction coefficient significantly increased with the increase of load. The boundary lubrication layer of paraffinic oil contributed to the lower friction at relatively low load (0.1 N), but it is less effective at high load (1 N). Plastic deformed layer patches were formed on the worn surface of oil-enriched AAO at relatively low load (0.1 N) without evidence of tribochemical reaction. On the other hand, thick tribolayers were formed on the worn surface of both oil-enriched and as-prepared AAO at relatively high load (1 N) due to tribochemical reaction and material transfer.