Temperature-structure-induced metastable structural transformation mechanism of the amorphous carbon film during friction

Temperature has a significant impact on the tribological behavior of amorphous carbon films. However, the fundamental question of “the effect of temperature-structure-induced on metastable structural transformation mechanism of amorphous carbon films ” is not well understood. This study is conducted to get an insight into the temperature-structure-induced structural transformation of amorphous carbon films. The relevant studies show that the effect of high temperature within a certain threshold on the "sp³-C to sp²-C" and the structural ordering degree changes from inhibition to promotion with amorphous carbon films’ density increases, and the structural transformation of high-density amorphous carbon films responds more significantly to temperature changes. The structural ordering degree of amorphous carbon films is promoted when the temperature exceeds a certain threshold.