Abstract
Herein, a series of Ag coatings with different micro-dimples were fabricated on copper surfaces by laser surface texturing (LST) and magnetron sputtering. Multilayer graphene lubricating grease (MGLG) was prepared using multilayer graphene as an additive. The textured Ag coatings and MGLG were characterized. Moreover, the tribological and electrical performances of the textured Ag coatings under MGLG lubrication were investigated in detail. Results demonstrated that the textured Ag coating with an appropriate dimple diameter could exhibit improved tribological and electrical properties when compared to the non-textured Ag coating under MGLG lubrication. The characterization and analysis of the worn surfaces suggest that the synergetic effect of LST and MGLG contributes to these excellent tribological and electrical properties.
Highlights
Sliding electrical connectors have attracted considerable attention in academic and industrial fields due to their involvement in extremely complex phenomena including mechanical, electrical, thermal, and material aspects [1,2,3,4]
A synergetic strategy based on laser surface texturing (LST) and conductive lubricants was proposed to improve the tribological and electrical performances of Ag coating for sliding electrical connectors
We postulated that the transition region was natural and the Ag coating had been tightly integrated with the Cu substrate, demonstrating a good adhesion
Summary
Sliding electrical connectors have attracted considerable attention in academic and industrial fields due to their involvement in extremely complex phenomena including mechanical, electrical, thermal, and material aspects [1,2,3,4]. To achieve a high level of reliability and service life, sliding electrical materials should possess a combination of characteristics, which include superior friction reduction, anti-wear abilities, low electrical contact resistance (ECR), and preferable corrosion resistance. Huang et al postulated that the lifetime and service performances of the electrical connectors were significantly impacted by the stability of friction and ECR [14] From another perspective, LST increases the surface roughness, which may cause a large fluctuation in tribological and conductive behaviors. When performing the functions of friction reduction, anti-wear, cooling, and corrosion prevention, the lubricants could form conductive paths to transmit current between the contact interfaces, thereby reducing the ECR. A synergetic strategy based on LST and conductive lubricants was proposed to improve the tribological and electrical performances of Ag coating for sliding electrical connectors. The mechanisms of the tribological and electrical performances were analyzed based on the characterization of the rubbing surfaces
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