Study of friction coefficient of colloidal polymer films

There is a lot of work available regarding various aspects of latex film formation process and the properties of the final films. The effect of application of surfactants on the friction of various substances like fibres, different parts of various mechanical assemblies has been also understood. On the other hand, there are many researchers who investigated in detail the various aspects of friction at appropriate scales. There is also a large number of authors who worked a lot on scratch and nano-indentation of various polymer surfaces. But the research on the effect of addition of surfactant and/or laponite in the formulation of latex film on the friction coefficient of the final film was still lacking. This important issue has been addressed in this article. The experimental results showed that the friction coefficient of the colloidal polymer films can be decreased significantly by introducing either surfactant or laponite or both of them into the colloidal polymer film composition. In case of copolymer films, the friction coefficient can also be changed by varying the percentage of the two constituent polymers.