A review of Influence of MoS2 on the tribological characteristics of diamond-like carbon coatings

Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings are increasingly used on machine parts due to their excellent friction and wear resistance. Therefore, it is important to formulate lubricants that can work effectively with these coatings. To do this, it is necessary to know how the various surface-reactive additives generally used in lubricants behave with DLCs. Tribological contacts (friction and wear) with solid lubricant coatings generally result in the transfer of a thin layer of material from the surface of the coating to the mating surface, commonly referred to as a transfer film or tribofilm. The wear surfaces may have different chemistry, microstructure and crystallographic texture than that of the main coating due to chemical reactions of the surface with the surrounding environment This article deals with the behavior of molybdenum dichalcogenide as a surface coating or as a filler in lubricating composites. The inherent lubricating lamellar structure of pure MoS is described, along with a brief summary of its wear and failure modes. Tribological performance of the DLC coatings, in combination with various base oils and lubricant additives, is analyzed by comparing their average friction and wear coefficient values, which have been calculated from published experimental data.