| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1657535 | Surface and Coatings Technology | 2014 | 9 Pages |
•Dense WS2 based film could be acquired by the incorporation of nanoscaled Cu layers.•Deep oxidation and residual stress change led to the variation of structure for loose WS2 film.•Loose film suffered deep but not severe oxidation due to WO3 cladding protection.•Fe substrate corrosion caused the deterioration of tribological properties of loose film further.•Tribological properties of the dense multilayer film remained unchanged after storage in humid air.
Pure WS2 and WS2/Cu multilayer films were deposited by radio frequency sputtering method and the erosion behavior caused by moisture was studied. For the pure WS2 film, the morphology, microstructure, composition and also the tribological properties experienced substantial change upon storage in humid air environments. Depth XPS and Raman analysis showed that the pure WS2 film suffered deep oxidation due to the open structure, but the compact WS2/Cu multilayer film resisted oxidation very well. For the multilayer film, the oxidation was restricted on the surface layer owing to the protective effect of the reactive product cladding layer of W and Cu oxidation and the compact microstructure. The open lamella structure of pure WS2 film allowed moisture to diffuse into the film interior, and so the deep oxidation, evolution of structure and Fe substrate corrosion contributed to the deterioration of tribological properties. The WS2/Cu multilayer film exhibited better deep oxidation resistance even after storage for long durations in humid air environments, and accordingly still showed low and stable friction coefficient and long wear life.
