Ultra-low friction of polyethylenimine / molybdenum disulfide (PEI/MoS2)15 thin films in dry nitrogen atmosphere and the effect of heat treatment

Prabakaran Saravanan*, Roman Selyanchyn, Motonori Watanabe, Shigenori Fujikawa, Hiroyoshi Tanaka, Stephen Matthew Lyth, Joichi Sugimura

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The unique frictional behavior of polyethylenimine/molybdenum disulphide (PEI/MoS2)n thin films on steel substrates, deposited via the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique, is explored. The effects of gaseous atmosphere (i.e. air vs. dry nitrogen), and heat treatment of the coatings are investigated. The coefficients of friction (COFs) are reduced by factors of ca. 2 and 11 in air and N2 respectively, compared to an uncoated steel substrate. Ultra-low friction (COF < 0.02) is achieved in dry N2. After heat treatment of the coating at 500 °C, the COF in air and nitrogen does not change significantly, but the coating demonstrates much higher durability. Detailed characterization of the coating and wear debris are performed to understand the origin of these tribological properties.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)255-263
Number of pages9
JournalTribology International
Volume127
Early online date7 Jun 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2018

Funding

This work was supported by the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT, Japan, and the JST-CREST Grant Number: JPMJCR13C1, JAPAN. Shugo Onitsuka, Kazumi Okada, Takehiro Morita and Yoshie Kurono are gratefully acknowledged for the technical and administrative assistance. This work was supported by the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) , MEXT , Japan, and the JST-CREST Grant Number: JPMJCR13C1 , JAPAN. Shugo Onitsuka, Kazumi Okada, Takehiro Morita and Yoshie Kurono are gratefully acknowledged for the technical and administrative assistance.

Keywords

  • mmorphous carbon
  • heat treatment
  • molybdenum disulfide (MoS)
  • nitrogen
  • ultra-low friction

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