Tribological behaviour of MoS2/Au coatings

Abstract This study aims to enhance the endurance of MoS2 coating by applying a thin layer of Au (∼ 80 nm) on MoS2 surface. Experimental results show that the addition of Au film increases the endurance of MoS2/Au over equivalent coatings without Au. The friction coefficient rapidly decreases to a stable value (μ ∼ 0.045) after about 100 cycles sliding. After more than 15,000 cycles, the friction coefficient gradually increased to a second stable value (μ ∼ 0.15). An average endurance of over 50,000 cycles was measured in this case. The Au or Au–MoS2 composite layer can effectively prevent oxygen or moisture reaction with MoS2 and hence significantly increases the wear life.