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Surface Probe Techniques

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Tribology for Scientists and Engineers

Abstract

Study of surface properties is of significance in tribology since interaction between objects takes place at surface level and also surface properties are different than the bulk of the material. This chapter discusses about different surface probe techniques which are used to characterize the surface at nanoscale. Depending upon the interaction of the probe (electron/mechanical) with the sample, different techniques are developed. In case electron probe, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope are used to study surface as well as subsurface information. In case of mechanical probes, atomic force microscope and nanoindentation techniques are widely used in nanoscale tribology. Each of the above techniques is discussed in this chapter with the working principle to application along with the limitations. Finally, recent developments in real-time tribological studies or in situ techniques are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India

    K. Anantheshwara & M. S. Bobji

Authors
  1. K. Anantheshwara
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  2. M. S. Bobji
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. Anantheshwara .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

    Pradeep L. Menezes

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

    Michael Nosonovsky

  3. Department of Marine Engineering, Texas A&M University, Galveston, Texas, USA

    Sudeep P. Ingole

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

    Satish V. Kailas

  5. Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

    Michael R. Lovell

Questions

Questions

  1. 1.

    Explain any five ways in which the electron interact with the materials and how each one of these is exploited to characterize the materials

  2. 2.

    What is an atomic force microscope? How is it used to obtain atomic resolution images? Sketch the displacement of the cantilever as a function of the separation distance between the tip atom and the surface, assuming an ideal case of a tip consisting of a single atom.

  3. 3.

    Explain the principle behind the Auger electron spectroscopy.

  4. 4.

    What is a transmission electron microscope? How is it used to characterize the materials?

  5. 5.

    What are the different material properties that can be determined by nanoindentation? Explain how any two properties are measured.

  6. 6.

    Describe the significance of in situ techniques. Explain how these techniques became useful in the study of surface interactions.

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Anantheshwara, K., Bobji, M.S. (2013). Surface Probe Techniques. In: Menezes, P., Nosonovsky, M., Ingole, S., Kailas, S., Lovell, M. (eds) Tribology for Scientists and Engineers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1945-7_16

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