The tribological properties of Cu-Ni3Al-MoS2 composite coating deposited by magnetron sputtering

In industrial applications, most materials are exposed to wear and friction because multiple conditions are used. However, the tribological properties of these materials can be improved with different techniques. One such technique that improves the frictional property of a surface is the use of self-lubricating coatings. In this study, multicomponent coatings of nominal composition Cu-Ni3Al-MoS2 have been sputter from the target using the best sputtering condition to get a good morphology and microstructure of the coating. The morphology and micro structure of the coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy depressive spectroscopy (EDS). The measured microhardness of this coating was 380 HV over 25 g load. Tribological properties of Cu-Ni3Al-MoS2 coatings were investigated using ball-on-disk (BOD) tribometer at atmospheric condition of room temperature. These composite coatings showed a good morphology and adhesion of the coating to the substrate, also it had acceptable friction coefficient and higher wear resistance, because it has hard matrix containing Cu-Ni3Al and MoS2 Nano particles.