Tribological Properties of WS(2) Thin Films Containing Graphite-like Carbon and Ni Interlayers

The development and production of thin-film coatings having very low friction is an urgent problem of materials science. One of the most promising solutions is the fabrication of special nanocomposites containing transition-metal dichalcogenides and various carbon-based nanophases. This study aims to explore the influence of graphite-like carbon (g-C) and Ni interface layers on the tribological properties of thin WS(2) films. Nanocrystalline WS(2) films were created by reactive pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in H(2)S at 500 °C. Between the two WS(2) nanolayers, g-C and Ni nanofilms were fabricated by PLD at 700 and 22 °C, respectively. Tribotesting was carried out in a nitrogen-enriched atmosphere by the reciprocal sliding of a steel counterbody under a relatively low load of 1 N. For single-layer WS(2) films, the friction coefficient was ~0.04. The application of g-C films did not noticeably improve the tribological properties of WS(2)-based films. However, the application of thin films of g-C and Ni reduced the friction coefficient to 0.013, thus, approaching superlubricity. The island morphology of the Ni nanofilm ensured WS(2) retention and altered the contact area between the counterbody and the film surface. The catalytic properties of nickel facilitated the introduction of S and H atoms into g-C. The sliding of WS(2) nanoplates against an amorphous g-C(S, H) nanolayer caused a lower coefficient of friction than the relative sliding of WS(2) nanoplates. The detected behavior of the prepared thin films suggests a new strategy of designing antifriction coatings for practical applications and highlights the ample opportunities of laser techniques in the formation of promising thin-film coatings.