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A Possible Link Between Macroscopic Wear and Temperature Dependent Friction Behaviors of MoS2 Coatings

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Abstract

Studies to explore the nature of friction, and in particular thermally activated friction in macroscopic tribology, have lead to a series of experiments on thin coatings of molybdenum disulfide. Coatings of predominately molybdenum disulfide were selected for these experiments; five different coatings were used: MoS2/Ni, MoS2/Ti, MoS2/Sb2O3, MoS2/C/Sb2O3, and MoS2/Au/Sb2O3. The temperatures were varied over a range from −80 °C to 180 °C. The friction coefficients tended to increase with decreasing temperature. Activation energies were estimated to be between 2 and 10 kJ/mol from data fitting with an Arrhenius function. Subsequent room temperature wear rate measurements of these films under dry nitrogen conditions at ambient temperature demonstrated that the steady-state wear behavior of these coatings varied dramatically over a range of K = 7 × 10−6 to 2 × 10−8 mm3/(Nm). It was further shown that an inverse relationship between wear rate and the sensitivity of friction coefficient with temperature exists. The highest wear-rate coatings showed nearly athermal friction behavior, while the most wear resistant coatings showed thermally activated behavior. Finally, it is hypothesized that thermally activated behavior in macroscopic tribology is reserved for systems with stable interfaces and ultra-low wear, and athermal behavior is characteristic to systems experiencing gross wear.

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Acknowledgements

This material is supported by an AFOSR-MURI grant FA9550-04-1-0367. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The authors would also like to thank Profs. Tony Schmitz and John Ziegert for their help in designing the reciprocating tribometer used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Matthew A. Hamilton, Luis A. Alvarez, Nathan A. Mauntler, Nicolas Argibay, Rachel Colbert, David L. Burris & W. Gregory Sawyer

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Scott S. Perry & W. Gregory Sawyer

  3. Wright Laboratory, Materials Directorate, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH, 45433, USA

    Chris Muratore & Andrey A. Voevodin

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  1. Matthew A. Hamilton
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  2. Luis A. Alvarez
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  3. Nathan A. Mauntler
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  4. Nicolas Argibay
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  5. Rachel Colbert
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  6. David L. Burris
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  9. Scott S. Perry
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  10. W. Gregory Sawyer
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Correspondence to W. Gregory Sawyer.

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Hamilton, M.A., Alvarez, L.A., Mauntler, N.A. et al. A Possible Link Between Macroscopic Wear and Temperature Dependent Friction Behaviors of MoS2 Coatings. Tribol Lett 32, 91–98 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-008-9366-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-008-9366-6

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