Bio-mimetic surface structuring of coating for tribological applications

A novel multilayered coating was developed for applications associated with friction reduction and wear resistance improvement. The nano-engineered coating integrates a soft lubricating layer, consisting of MoS₂-PTFE, onto hard load-supporting layers, with controlled surface morphology (roughness and patterning) of cBN-TiN. The coating was synthesized by sequential procedures including electrostatic spray deposition of cBN particles with different average particle sizes, chemical vapor deposition of TiN, deposition of nano- and micro-sized MoS₂ dispersed in PTFE, and curing. The effect of cBN particle size (with different combinations of particle size) and deposition parameters (specifically electrical voltage) on the cBN-TiN surface morphology were studied experimentally and optimized. SEM characterization of the as-synthesized cBN-TiN coating shows surface features similar to that of colocasia esculenta, with alternating nano- and micro-sized domes and “pockets”; the MoS₂-PTFE top layer has MoS₂ particles retained in the pockets by a basket structure formed during PTFE curing. Tribological and scratch tests were carried out for the as-prepared cBN-TiN and cBN-TiN/MoS₂-PTFE multilayered coatings. Sliding test results demonstrate significantly lower friction coefficient for the multilayered coating, showing that the unique integration of soft lubricating layer and biomimetically structured hard layer can effectively improve tribological performance. It is suggested that lubrication at the frictional contacts was realized by continuous release of the lubricants, MoS₂ and PTFE, from the pockets.