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Effects of Mo Single‐Layer Thickness on Microstructure and Tribological Behavior of WS x /Mo/a‐C/Mo Multilayer Films
Author(s) -
Zheng Xiao-Hua,
Wang Tao,
Wang Gong-Qi,
Zhang Wan-Kun,
Yang Fang-Er
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced engineering materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1527-2648
pISSN - 1438-1656
DOI - 10.1002/adem.202001413
Subject(s) - materials science , nanoindentation , tribology , microstructure , scanning electron microscope , elastic modulus , composite material , sputter deposition , layer (electronics) , thin film , sputtering , nanotechnology
WS 2 /a‐C multilayer films exhibit good friction reduction but relatively low hardness and load‐bearing capacity. To further enhance the tribological properties of WS 2 /a‐C films, Mo layers with different thicknesses are introduced into WS x /a‐C multilayer films to fabricate WS x /Mo/a‐C/Mo multilayer films by magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and tribological properties of the films are characterized by X‐ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, nanoindentation, and ball‐on‐disk tribotesting. The results show that the WS x /Mo/a‐C/Mo multilayer films have better mechanical and tribological properties than WS x /a‐C multilayer films. With increasing Mo single‐layer thickness, the hardness of the multilayer films initially increases and then decreases slightly; moreover, an increased elastic modulus and decreased adhesion are observed. The multilayer film with an Mo single‐layer thickness of 2 nm demonstrates the optimal set of comprehensive properties (i.e., a maximum hardness ( H )/elastic modulus ( E ) ratio of 0.0793, H 3 / E 2 ratio of 0.0812 GPa, binding force of 30.4 N, minimum friction coefficient of 0.187, and wear rate of 1.01 × 10 −14 m 3 N −1 m −1 ).