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The nanotribological responses of a series of nonionic polyoxyethylene surfactants (Tween 20, Tween 40, Tween 60, and Tween 80) were investigated after they were adsorbed from aqueous solution onto atomically smooth hydrophobic substrates. The hydrophobic surfaces were composed of a condensed monolayer of octadecyltriethoxysilane (OTE; contact angle θ>110°). The nanorheological measurements were performed using a modified surface forces apparatus after coating atomically smooth mica with these OTE monolayers, while adsorption measurements were performed using phase-modulated ellipsometry on silicon wafers coated with these same monolayers. The minimum surface–surface separation observed under high load in friction studies agreed quantitatively with the thickness obtained from ellipsometry. For Tweens 20, 40, and 60, the thickness of the adsorbed film increases with increasing …