National Institute for Materials Science

Michiko Sasaki

Masahiro Goto

Masahiro Tosa

Akira Kasahara

Toyohiro Chikyo

ZnO sputtering is performed while a rolling body is housed in a basket made of a metal wire and is rotated. By setting a ratio of a mesh size of the basket to a diameter of the rolling body in a range of 40 to 95%, fine and uniform ZnO coating can be formed on a surface of the rolling body. By using the rolling body with ZnO coating prepared in this manner in a bearing which is rotated at high speed in a high-load state, a friction coefficient can significantly be lowered in comparison with a case of no coating.

ZnO coating method for rolling body, rolling body with ZnO coating, and bearing incorporating same

Low friction coating of the present invention includes a boron-doped zinc oxide thin film, wherein piezoelectric polarization in a vertical direction perpendicular to a film surface and a lateral direction horizontal to the film surface occurs and a magnitude of the piezoelectric polarization in the vertical direction is within 150 pm and a magnitude of the piezoelectric polarization in the lateral direction is within 100 pm at 90% or more of measurement points. This makes it possible to greatly decrease the friction in a nanometer order.

Low friction coating formed of boron-doped zinc oxide thin film and micromachine

Provided is a polymer nanowire which contains nanoparticles so as to have new functionalities. A thin film is formed on a substrate and includes functional nanoparticles and polymers, and further includes a photosensitive pigment as required. The thin film is irradiated with a pulsed laser. This causes a polymer nanowire containing the functional nanoparticles to grow from a surface of the thin film.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Michiko Sasaki