The effect of surface nano-corrugation on the squeeze-out of molecular thin hydrocarbon films between curved surfaces...

The properties of linear alkane lubricants confined between two approaching solids are investigated by a model that accounts for the roughness, curvature and elastic properties of the solid surfaces. We consider linear alkanes of different chain lengths from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text], confined between corrugated solid walls. The pressure necessary to squeeze out the lubricant increases rapidly with the alkane chain length, but is always much lower than in the case of smooth surfaces. The longest alkanes form domains of ordered chains and the squeeze-out appears to nucleate in the more disordered regions between these domains. The short alkanes stay fluid-like during the entire squeeze out process which result in a very small squeeze-out pressure which is almost constant during the squeeze-out of the last monolayer of the fluid. In all cases we observe lubricant trapped in the valley of the surface roughness, which cannot be removed independent of the magnitude of the squeezing pressures.