Imaging friction tracks at diamond surfaces using reflection electron microscopy

Reflection electron microscopy (REM) is applied to image the structure of polished natural diamond (001) surfaces (of 5 x 4 mm size) after friction experiments under a pressure below the critical value. Friction tracks marked by a diamond needle after a single pass movement under a pressure of 13 GPa can be seen in REM images and show non-uniform contrast. The surface shows relatively dark image contrast at the light contacted area, which is possibly due to the structural modification at the top atomic layer. The high local contacting pressure pushes part of the needle into the surface which causes fracture, resulting in the formation of grooves at the surface. It is possible to have plastic deformation in this process, but no evidence has been found for the presence of cracking. The observations support the adhesion frictional mechanism rather than the micro-cleavage model.