Current carrying tribological properties of multi arc ion plated titanium nitride doped silver coating

Abstract

Sliding electrical contact materials play a crucial role in the transmission and conversion of electrical energy, but due to various factors such as force, electricity, and heat, the interface exhibits complex wear behavior. A single solid or liquid lubrication system can no longer meet the growing performance requirements of current carrying tribology. In this study, a TiN-Ag coating was prepared using multi arc ion plating technology, and a solid–liquid composite lubrication system was formed with ionic liquid and polyurea grease, respectively. Through current carrying friction and wear tests, their tribological properties, electrical contact resistance(ECR) values, and stability were tested, and compared with the results obtained during dry friction. The coating and worn surfaces were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results indicated that compared with dry friction, TiN-Ag coatings lubricated with ionic liquids and polyurea grease showed higher friction reduction, wear resistance, and conductivity, especially the synergistic effect between ionic liquids and coatings is prominent. The behavior of ionic liquids under voltage was analyzed, and it was found that ionic liquids formed a physical adsorption film composed of a mixture of anions and cations on the worn surface. The ordered layered structure improved the tribological performance of the system.