Rf-sputtered REMF–MoS 2–Au/Au nanocomposite multilayer film

Abstract

In this paper, the analyses of Rf-sputtered rare earth metal fluorinated compound (REMF)–MoS 2–Au/Au nanocomposite multilayer films have been carried out. The films consisted of alternate layers of RMA (REMF–MoS 2–Au) and pure Au with different thicknesses. It was found that the multilayers were highly dense and composed of Au and MoS 2 crystallites with diameter of several nanometers. All the multilayer films showed better toughness probably due to their structure. Tribological tests indicated that the multilayer films showed ultra-low friction under different loads and longer endurance at lower loads. The ultra-low friction and wear rate of the multilayer films are probably attributed to the fact that multilayer films possess a large number of nanometer-sized crystallites having the (0 0 2) MoS 2 base plane oriented parallel to the surface even though the thickness of RMA layer was more than 60 nm. The wear tracks analysis indicates that some mixing zones formed in the center zone of the wear tracks.