Use of nanoscaled multilayer and compound films to realize a soft lubrication phase within a hard, wear-resistant matrix

An ideal solid lubricant would have a very low friction coefficient coupled with high wear resistance. It has thus been imagined to include clusters o f a lubricating material dispersed within a hard matrix. Such a composite c oating might provide both a wear-resistant surface and some solid lubricati on, with new pockets of lubricant being exposed as the film wears down. The goal is to extend the historical use of MoS2 in spacecraft, to common indu strial environments such as in dry or reduced-lubricant machining, and in m achinery. Anti-adhesive properties can also be important, for example in ex truding and molding. Modern thin film deposition technologies present possi bilities to produce such film structures, both from process and control per spectives. It has been demonstrated that MoS2 can be added to hard, wear-re sistant ceramic films such as TiN or CrN. An opposite approach could be to increase the hardness and perhaps wear resistance of a solid lubricant. Add ing elements or compounds to the solid lubricant MoS2 produced increases in sliding lifetime, and in at least some cases, hardness. Tribological testi ng in humid atmospheres indicated that low friction coefficients combined w ith wear resistance can be realized. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.