The effects of Ti content on tribological and corrosion performances of MoS2–Ti composite films

Abstract

The easy shear of the MoS2 film and thus the low coefficient of friction makes it one of the excellent candidates for solid lubricant coatings. In this paper, the Ti content in MoS2–Ti composite films was controlled by varying the power of the titanium target using magnetron sputtering. The structure, components and properties of the MoS2–Ti composite films with different Ti contents were systematically investigated. The results showed that MoS2–Ti composite films were dense and uniform with no obvious defects. Besides, the titanium oxides were formed in the MoS2–Ti composite films, which would have a suppressive effect on the oxidation of MoS2. The hardness and elastic modulus increased with the Ti content of MoS2–Ti composite films. As Ti content increased, the friction coefficients of MoS2–Ti composite films first decreased and then increased. At the Ti target power of 0.28 kW, the average friction coefficient of the composite film reached a minimum value of about 0.048. However, when the Ti target power was 0.32 kW, the composite film had the best wear resistance and corrosion resistance.