The Construction and Tribological Properties of ZrO₂/rGO Multi-layer Composite Film

In this work, ZrO₂/rGO multi-layered nanocomposite film with high-quality was constructed by layer-by-layer self-assembly technique combined with the in-situ reduction process. The surface anchorage and in-situ reduction of GO were achieved in one step by virtue of a versatile substance of dopamine with strong adhesion and reducibility, and the deposition of ZrO₂ was accomplished by a simple aqueous solution deposition process under mild conditions. Experiment results prove that the introduction of rGO and ZrO₂, as well as the construction of the multilayer structure brought in the enhanced mechanical and tribological performances for the obtained composite film. The as-deposited ZrO₂/rGO multi-layered composite film was a powerful system with competitive mechanical and tribological properties, thus making it competent as friction-reduction and anti-wear coating applied in micro- and nano-electromechanical systems for surface protection and other fields.